Big Time Deliverance
by LazyLazyWriter
Summary: When they are invited back to Minnesota to attend their High School graduation, the boys decide they need a vacation and turn the event into a road trip. Trouble ensues when they stumble across a small town with a corrupt sheriff…who will do anything to silence them after they witness a murder. Can the boys escape?


Title: **Big Time Deliverance**  
Category: TV Shows » Big Time Rush  
Author: LazyLazyWriter  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T  
Genre: Angst/Drama  
Published: 04-15-12, Updated: 10-15-13  
Chapters: 11, Words: 53,497

A/N: This story was previously posted and subsequently reported to the website and deleted. With the help of an awesomely amazing person (and writer!), it was saved from being permanently lost. Which would have devastated me. Sooo, I am reposting it. All written chapters are being posted together (with author notes that I had previously posted.) Please ignore the weird format. I am working on the next chapter of this story ** which will be posted as chapter 2, weird, I know** hopefully in a few days. Thanks to everyone who has supported me and read my stories.

And please PLEASE think twice before you report someone's story. It is not nice and is pretty devastating to the writer...especially if that writer doesn't have an amazing superhero friend who saved all of her stories.

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

**Title**: Big Time Deliverance

**Author**: LazyLazyWriter

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: When they are invited back to Minnesota to attend their High School graduation, the boys decide they need a vacation and turn the event into a road trip. Trouble ensues when they stumble across a small town with a corrupt sheriff…who will do anything to silence them after they witness a murder. Can the boys escape?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Big Time Rush. Duh. I'm pretty sure no one thought that I did.

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Carlos! You just killed me!" Logan yelled, thumping his friend on his helmeted head.

"You got in my way!" The other boy yelled back, frowning.

James snorted. "You both were in my way. By the way, Carlos, you're dead." He executed a quick move on the controller and laughed even louder when Carlos gasped.

"James!"

"Will you all just calm down?" Kendall, the referee, interjected. "Its just a game."

"Said the guy with the gold controller!" Logan retorted. "How about giving that up for a second?"

Kendall held the controller closer. "No! Its mine!"

"Quit hogging it!" James shouted, lunging at Kendall. He wrestled the controller away from the blonde haired boy and leapt up on the couch, doing a victory dance. Carlos tackled him instantly, sending both boys tumbling to the floor.

"Carlos!" Logan yelled, jumping on the two boys, "Don't break the controller!"

"Ow! Your elbow is in my eye!"

"Your eye just hit my elbow!"

Logan suddenly let loose a high pitched squeal and abandoned the fight for the controller. "Man down!" he groaned. "Carlos, you kneed me in the jewels!" He cupped himself protectively and continued to groan while Carlos and James fought above him for the prized controller.

"Sorry, buddy," Carlos laughed, "But there are no rules when it comes to this controller."

The door opened suddenly, causing the fight to break up quickly as the guys put on their most convincing "innocent" faces. Mrs. Knight walked in, took one look at them, and frowned.

"Are you boys fighting again?"

They quickly shook their heads.

"No, of course not, Mom." Kendall said. "Just playing a friendly game."

"Then why is Logan on the floor?" She raised an eyebrow as she looked down at him. The others followed her gaze, smiling.

"Carlos kneed him in the…" James began, only to stop quickly when Kendall glared at him. "I mean, he fell. Yeah, he fell. All by himself." He shrugged at Kendall.

"Whatever." Mrs. Knight said. "Help him up. I have to talk to you guys about something."

"No, leave me here." Logan groaned from the floor. "I'm good. No one touch me." Tears ran from his closed eyes as he breathed through the pain.

"Yeah, we'll just leave him there." James said, sitting down on the couch.

"What did you want to talk to us about, Momma Knight?" Carlos asked, joining James on the couch.

"Yeah, Mom, what's up?" Kendall wondered.

"Well, I got a call from Mr. Thomas today." Mrs. Knight began, only to be cut off quickly by questions.

"Mr. Thomas…as in the principal from our old school in Minnesota?" Kendall asked, looking worried.

Carlos gasped. "We didn't do it!"

"Yeah," James agreed, "Whatever he told you, we had nothing to do with it."

"We have alibis, Mom." Kendall told her. "We were no where near whatever happened that he called about."

Logan pulled himself up painfully and joined his friends, nodding.

Jennifer frowned, her frustration growing. "Of course you didn't do anything!" She told them. "You've been living in Los Angeles for a year now."

"It could be something that we did a year ago that he's finally found." Logan said thoughtfully.

"Like the skunk?" Carlos wondered.

Logan shook his head. "No, they would have found that a long time ago. The smell alone would have given it away."

"The hole in the girl's locker room wall?" James asked?

"Got closed up in 10th grade when Jimmy Thornton was discovered looking through it by the field hockey team." Kendall reminded him. "May he rest in peace."

"The poop bag we left for the janitor in the supply closet? We never did clean that out."

Logan added.

"Boys!" Jennifer shouted. "Stop telling me about this!"

They stopped talking and looked up at her.

"He wasn't calling to yell at you guys." She continued. The guys smiled.

"That's a first." Said James.

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "He was inviting the four of you to this year's graduation ceremony. Its your Senior year and your classmates graduate in June. He wanted to invite you boys to walk with your class and be honorary graduates from the school. You did go to school with those kids since Kindergarten."

"Graduate?" Logan said quietly. "With our class? That would be really cool." He had never admitted it to his friends, but he'd been kind of sad when he thought about missing graduation. The other boys looked pleased too.

"That would be cool." James agreed. "Graduating from the Palm Woods school is kind of anti-climatic. I think we get a cake and Bitters makes balloon animals." He shuttered.

"It would be fun to see everyone again." Carlos added. "I miss our friends from school. I miss our hockey team."

"And we could use a mini vacation." Said Kendall. "Gustavo has us working really hard. I wouldn't mind taking a break and going back home for a while."

Jennifer smiled. "There's something else." She looked at Logan. "Mr. Thomas told me that, even though you boys were gone last year, Logan still has the highest GPA. They would like you to be this year's Valedictorian."

Logan's jaw dropped. Valedictorian? That has been his dream for as long as he could remember…probably longer that that! He'd given up that dream when he'd agreed to move out to California with his friends and become pop stars. The Palm Woods didn't recognize the person with the highest GPA…even though he'd made that suggestion more than once.

Kendall patted him on the back. "Way to go, Logan!" he said happily. "Congrats, man!"

"Awesome!" James agreed.

"I can't believe it." Logan admitted. "That is such an honor."

Jennifer smiled. "We are so proud of you, Logan. And your mom is too. I called her on the way home to tell her the good news."

"Valedictorian." Logan whispered. "Wow."

"So I can call Mr. Thomas back and tell him you'll be coming?" Jennifer asked, receiving nods from the boys around her.

"As long as Gustavo says we can go, we want to go." Kendall said.

"Gustavo." James groaned. "I forgot about him. He'll never let us off work to go."

"Of course you dogs can go back home for graduation." Gustavo barked. "I'm sick of you and I need a break from looking at your faces."

"Really?" Kendall asked. "We can go?"

"It's really nice of them to invite you back." Kelly told them. "And you boys deserve a real graduation ceremony. Go and have fun. And congratulations Mr. Valedictorian." Kelly said, smiling at Logan.

"This will be great publicity for the band." Gustavo said. "We'll have Pop Tiger Magazine attend and photograph you boys getting your little diplomas. And you can perform a song for the ceremony."

"Whoa!" Kendall said, holding up his hands. "Perform a song? At graduation?"

"If you dogs want to go, you'll perform a song. And let Pop Tiger take pictures."

James got out is comb, running it through his hair. "I'm fine with the pictures."

"We know James." Logan laughed.

"Fine." Kendall said. "One song. IF….you give us two weeks off and let us use the Big Time Rush Mobile to drive to Minnesota. We want a road trip."

His friends looked at him in surprise.

"A road trip?" Carlos asked.

Kendall nodded. "Just the four of us, driving to Minnesota. We need a vacation."

"You guys are only 18." Kelly reminded them. "That's a long way to drive."

"2000 miles." Kendall told them. "I Map Quested it. Got directions and everything. And we have GPS."

"That actually sounds kind of cool." James agreed, warming up to the idea. "Just us, driving to Minnesota. I like it."

"We should totally to that!" Carlos said excitedly.

Logan nodded. "It would be kind of nice to take a break from everything."

"Tell you what." Gustavo began, "If you can get Mrs. Knight to okay it AND you take GPS navigation with you AND you call every few hours to check in, I will give you the two weeks off. I need to write some new songs anyway."

The guys high-fived and rushed from the office to call Kendall's mom. Kelly looked at Gustavo, who shrugged.

"What? They're adults and they need a break. What could go wrong?"

Kelly slapped her forehead. "Those boys get into trouble walking down the hallway. You think they can handle a road trip for 2000 miles…alone?"

"Kelly, you worry too much. What's the worst that could happen?

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: So this is another story that I've been running through my head. Hope you liked the beginning…please review and let me know what you think. If you've noticed the title…yeah, I got the idea from the movie Deliverance…picture cute city boys running scared in the woods, redneck creepers in dirty overalls hunting them, small town corrupt sheriffs who want them silenced and some "Boy, you sure got a pretty mouth" dialogue ;) I'm weird, I know it. Please review! I love reviews…**

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

**A/N: I don't own Big Time Rush. I do own a Big Time Rush T-shirt and some CDs...that will have to get me by for now... ~ LazyLazyWriter**

**CHAPTER TWO**

"I'm still not sure about this." Jennifer Knight said, watching the boys load up the car with their duffle bags. "Two thousand miles is a long trip. Wouldn't you boys rather fly to Minnesota with me and Katie on Friday?"

"Moommmmm…" Kendall whined, climbing into the driver's seat. "We're adults now. We live in L.A. We go on tour. I think we can handle a road trip. Besides, there are four of us…what could happen?"

"It's because there are four of you that I'm worried about what could happen." Jennifer retorted. Katie snickered next to her.

"I'd be more capable of taking of myself than you four idiots." She laughed. James took a swat at her, which she dodged, giggling even harder.

"We'll be fine, Momma Knight." Logan assured her, taking the seat next to Kendall. "I have the route all planned out and programmed into the GPS. I have pre-determined and well researched restaurants and areas for breaks and food. I've emailed you a list of any hotels we may stay at, including contact numbers. And we will call you every few hours to check in. I've got this covered."

Jennifer smiled. "I know you do, Logan. That's the only reason I'm allowing you boys to go alone."

James and Carlos jumped into the back seat of the shiny red convertible. "This is going to be awesome!" Carlos said, his face bright with excitement. "Our first road trip! Let's sing some songs."

"NO!" The other three responded quickly, making Mrs. Knight laugh.

"Okay, well, you boys have fun and be safe. Don't talk to strangers. Don't get into trouble. Pull over and switch drivers if you get tired. No texting or talking on cell phones while driving." She paused, trying to remember if she'd said everything. "Don't take candy from strangers."

"Take candy from...what?" Kendall asked. "Mom! We don't take candy from strangers!"

"Carlos took candy from a stranger the other day." Logan reminded him, earning a glare from Kendall.

"It was Juicy Fruit gum...not candy." Carlos told them.

"Don't get abducted by aliens." Katie added suddenly, drawing weird looks from everyone around her. "What? I saw this movie on Fox once where four friends went on a road trip and they were abducted by aliens. Then they got probed and mind melded and stuff. It was a great movie."

"I told you no more Fox!" Mrs. Knight frowned.

Carlos crouched down in his seat. "I don't want to get probed!"

"No one wants to get probed, Carlos." Logan told him.

Kendall sighed. "And no one is going to get probed. We'll be fine." He glared at Katie, who shrugged.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Give my regards to the aliens."

Carlos shrieked.

"Katie!" Kendall yelled.

"Oh!" Mrs. Knight said suddenly, interrupting the budding fight. "Gustavo is here."

"What?" James said. "No way."

"No really, there he is." Logan pointed to the parking lot across the street. "Hopefully he isn't here to tell us we can't go."

"Dogs!" Gustavo said when he was within shouting distance. "Glad I caught you."

"He's going to tell us we can't go!" Carlos hissed. "Kendall, drive us out of here!"

"He's not going to tell you that you can't go." Mrs. Knight said. "Just hear what he has to say."

They all looked at Gustavo expectantly when he approached the car.

"So, I..ah…well, I was thinking…and so I decided…" He stammered, making the boys look at each in confusion.

"Yes?" Logan prompted when the producer didn't go on.

"So here!" Gustavo pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it onto Kendall's lap, who looked down in shock.

"Is that money?"

"A wad of money." Logan answered, sporting an identical look of shock.

"Money? Really?" Lemmee see!" Carlos said, leaning over Kendall to peer into his lap.

Mrs. Knight raised an eyebrow. "Gustavo, what is this?"

Gustavo turned red. "I thought the dogs could use a little play money for their road trip. Consider it a bonus for doing work that isn't completely crappy."

The guys let out a quick cheer, looking at each other with big smiles on their faces.

"You heard it, folks." James joked. "We are not completely crappy."

"You're just mostly crappy." Katie mumbled, reaching down and snatching a bill off the top of the pile. "I'm taking a twenty."

"Thanks Gustavo!" Kendall said, quickly mimicked by the others. "This is great."

"Yeah, well…" Gustavo said awkwardly. "You dogs have been doing a good job. Have fun on your little trip. And don't screw up the performance or the Pop Tiger photo interview."

They nodded, still smiling down at the money. "Don't worry." Kendall assured him. "Everything will go as planned. Logan's got everything figured out to the smallest detail. We'll be fine."

"Whatever." Gustavo answered, failing at sounding indifferent. "Just don't get probed by aliens. I saw a movie on Fox."

"I saw the same movie!" Katie told him excitedly. "It was great!"

"Wasn't it!" Gustavo agreed. "Especially the part where they were running through the woods."

Katie shivered. "That part was creepy."

"Stop talking about it!" Carlos screeched in the backseat.

Gustavo stopped talking. "Oh, ah, sorry."

"No one is getting probed!" Kendall shouted out in frustration. "Let's head out."

"Ok. Have fun boys!" Mrs. Knight said one more time. "Be safe! Katie and I will see you on Friday! Don't forget to call me!"

"We won't, Momma Knight!" Logan called as the car pulled away. "I've got pre-arranged phone call reminders programmed into my phone!"

James snickered in the backseat. "You set reminders to call?"

Logan turned around and glared at him. "The key to a successful road trip is planning and organization, James."

"No." James argued. "The key to an awesome road trip is a huge wad of cash!"

"I can't believe Gustavo gave us all that money!" Carlos said next to him. "How much did he give us?"

Logan snatched the pile off of Kendall's lap and started counting while James and Carlos turned around one more time to wave to Mrs. Knight and Katie, who were quickly fading out of sight.

"Hmmm…looks like…holy crap! He gave us four thousand dollars!" Logan exclaimed, astounded.

"Four thousand dollars?" James shrieked. "No way!"

"Best road trip ever!" Carlos whooped, throwing his hands up in the air. The others quickly mimicked him, cheering loudly.

An hour later they were bored out of their minds.

"Are we even out of California yet?" James asked, sighing.

Logan shook his head. "Not yet."

"This is taking forever!" Carlos whined, rolling his eyes.

"We've gone 75 miles!" Logan told them, exasperated. "Out of two thousand!"

James frowned. "So how much longer are we talking about?"

"We'll get there in, like, three days." Logan said, causing Carlos to whine even more.

"Three days? That's a long time!"

Logan sighed. "Carlos, I told you last night that this trip would take a couple of days!"

"Fine. So when are we stopping tonight?"

Logan consulted the map on his cell phone. "Well..we could drive straight to Utah and find a suitable place from my list of stops to stay for the night. Orrrr….we could stop in Vegas and spend some of Gustavo's money."

James whooped in the back, shouting "Vegas!"

Kendall glanced over at his friend, shocked. "Logan! Diverging from the planned route and heading to Vegas? Who would have ever thought?"

Logan smiled guiltily. "I actually had Vegas on my planned route…I just didn't tell your mom. And now that Gustavo has given us money…"

Carlos frowned. "Um…aren't we underage? What can we do in Vegas?"

Logan consulted his phone. "Well, we have the Under 21 dance clubs, roller coasters, thrill rides on top of the Stratosphere Hotel, shows, awesome hotels and of course, all-you-can-eat buffets."

"Vegas!" Carlos shouted. "All-you-can-eat buffets and roller coasters!"

"Vegas it is!" Kendall yelled.

"So are we there yet?" Carlos asked.

"Are we where?" Logan wondered.

"Vegas."

Logan groaned. "Carlos, do you see casinos and bright lights?"

"But I'm bored!"

"We'll be there in a few hours. Stop asking."

"Can we sing songs now?"

"NO!" His three friends yelled.

"One road song?" Carlos persisted.

"Carlos! We are on a break from singing! No road songs!" James told him.

"I Spy?"

James shook his head.

"The Alphabet game?"

James sighed.

"License plate game?"

James took out his IPod and popped headphones into his ears, turning the music up loud.

Carlos sighed. "How about you guys? I Spy?"

Logan took out his IPod and plugged in his earphones.

"Kendall?" Carlos tried.

Kendall's eyes rolled. As much as he wished he could, he was driving and couldn't tune Carlos out with his own IPod. He sent a dirty look in Logan's direction, but was ignored. "Fine, Carlos. Let's play I Spy."

"Yah hoo!" Carlos said happily. "Me first. I spy with my little eye…" He trailed off as he looked around. "Um…..something green."

"Tree."

"Dammit! How did you get that so fast?"

"Lucky guess." Kendall sent a suspicious glance Logan's way when the other boy snickered softly.

"Okay, you go."

Kendall looked around. "I spy something.."

"You didn't say 'with my little eye'!"

"Really, Carlos?"

"Rules are rules." Carlos told him.

Kendall sighed again. "Fine. I spy WITH MY LITTLE EYE…something….orange." He said, picking out the most obvious thing he could find…an orange pick up truck driving next to them.

"Umm…." Carlos looked around. "The sun?"

"What? That's yellow, Carlos."

"Oh yeah, right. Um…" He took his time looking around again. The pick up truck continued to drive next to them. "Um….Logan's shirt?"

"I'm not wearing orange!" Logan said, turning around. "My shirt is blue."

"Well, I couldn't see you from back here and I forgot!" Carlos told him. "Um…..that woman's shirt in that car over there?"

"I can't even see that woman's shirt! Why would I choose that?" Kendall yelled.

"It was just a guess…let me see….that billboard over there?"

Kendall glanced over to wear Carlos was pointing…thankfully, there was a small amount of orange on the billboard, getting him off the hook. The truck sped away, still unnoticed by Carlos. "Yes. The billboard. Good job."

Carlos smiled smugly. "I'm good at this game."

Logan snickered again.

Kendall glared at him.

Carlos sighed. "Are we there yet?"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**A/N: Our boys…in Vegas? What could possibly happen to them there? Hmmm…I wonder….next chapter will have more action…promise. ~ LazyLazyWriter**

**Chapter 3: Chapter 3**

**A/N: Felt bad for neglecting this story, so decided to update. Enjoy! (working on Obsession too, so don't worry! Just needed a change of pace.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush. Show of hands from those who thought I did? Anyone? Anyone at all? Okay then.**

**CHAPTER THREE**

"Best road trip ever!" Carlos screamed as the roller coaster brought them over the side of the huge hotel, more than 100 stories in the air. "Wooooo hooooo!"

"Vegas!" James screamed beside him, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Holy crap!" Logan shouted, shutting his eyes as they did another dizzying loop over the side of the building. Had this really been his idea?

Kendall grinned at his friend as the coaster slowed to a stop at the end of the ride. "What's the matter, Logan?"

"S'nothing." Logan muttered, getting up from his seat to exit the coaster. "Too many loops."

"There's no such thing as too many loops!" Carlos yelled, slapping Logan on the back playfully. "Let's go again! I…" His face suddenly turned a sickening shade of green as he threw up all over Logan, who looked appalled. As soon as he was done, he threw his hands up in the air with a smile. "Let's go again!"

"Carlos!" Logan shrieked. "You just chucked all over me!"

Carlos looked sheepish. "Sorry, Loges. Really, let's go again!"

Logan checked himself over with disgust. "I've got buffet corndog chunks all over my pants!"

Kendall looked him over. "And there's some pudding right there." He pointed out, making Logan grimace even more. "And what looks like…chewed up fish sticks?"

"That's it! I'm changing!" Logan announced, heading for the elevators. "What?" He said, staring back at a girl who was staring at his pants. "It's puked up fish, so?" The girl quickly walked away.

James smirked. "Nice manners with the ladies, Logan."

Logan looked back at him. "I've got Carlos puke all over my pants…not like I had a chance with that girl anyway."

The elevator dinged, announcing their floor and the guys got off, following Logan to their suite. Logan disappeared in his room, shutting the door behind him.

"So, what do you guys want to do now?" James asked, checking his watch. "It's only 8pm."

"We're in Vegas," Kendall said, "We could go see Wayne Newton."

"I would love to see Wayne Newton!" James said excitedly. "Let's do that!"

Kendall looked at him, shocked. "James, I was kidding."

James' face turned red as he looked away from his friends. "Yeah, I knew that. Wayne Newton…yuck. Who would want to see him?" He sat down, muttering. "He's just a music legend is all, nothing special. No reason to go see a music legend in person."

"James," Kendall said, "Do you want to go see Wayne Newton?"

"We're going to see Wayne Newton?" Logan asked, walking out of his room wearing a clean pair of faded jeans.

"James wants to."

Logan looked thoughtful. "At least Carlos won't puke on me there."

James stood up, looking happy. "I'll order the tickets!"

"Can we eat at the buffet again after the show?" Carlos asked eagerly.

"You'd eat there again, after just puking everything up all over me?" Logan asked him.

"I'm hungry again!"

"You chunked corn dogs all over me!"

"So now I'm hungry!"

"Guys! Chill! Carlos can eat again when we're done watching the show." Kendall interrupted, holding his hands up to halt the argument.

"Ha!" Carlos said triumphantly.

Logan scowled. "Then you're sitting next to him. How many pairs of pants do you think I have?"

"I've got the tickets!" James said happily, holding up the printed pages. "Show starts in twenty minutes AND we're right up front! Maybe I can sing with Wayne!"

"Maybe you can sing with Wayne? Dude, seriously?" Logan scoffed.

"Don't kill my dreams, man!" James yelled.

"Dude, not cool." Carlos agreed, giving Logan a look.

"You puked on me!"

"And you need to get past that." Kendall told him.

"You didn't get puked on." Logan grumbled as he followed the guys out of the room.

"Best show ever!" James said excitedly as they exited the theatre. "That man sure can sing!"

"He was pretty good." Kendall agreed. "Did you notice we were the youngest people in the audience?"

"Wayne Newton!" Carlos yelled, throwing up his arms. "Woo Hoo!"

"Carlos," Logan sighed, "you can't woo hoo everything in Vegas."

Carlos smiled at him. "Grumpy Logan! Woo Hoo!"

Logan rolled his eyes.

"And now I'm hungry! Let's eat!"

"Actually not a bad idea." Logan agreed reluctantly. "I'm kind of hungry too."

"Logan agrees! Woo Hoo!"

Carlos, seriously! Stop with the woo hooing!"

"This place is cool." James said, looking around as they headed towards the buffet. "Imagine how much fun it will be when we're old enough to gamble."

Kendall frowned. "Gambling is a waste of money."

"Unless you win."

"Do you know the odds of winning a substantial jackpot in Las Vegas?" Logan began, then frowned. "Well, actually, I don't know the odds, but I'm sure they're not good!"

Screams from the casino floor filtered into the walkway where the boys stood.

"Doesn't sound bad to me." James scoffed. "Unless those are unhappy screams…nope, sound like happy screams to me!"

"Well, whatever, we're not twenty one and we can't gamble."

"But we can eat!" Carlos reminded them, pulling them along with him towards the crowded buffet. "And then how about we hit that roller coaster again!"

"NO!" Logan yelled.

"Party pooper."

"Up chucker!"

"Fish stick pants!"

"Guys! Enough!" Kendall interrupted. "People are staring! Let's just eat!"

"You're sitting by him." Logan told him again, grabbing his place. "And those fish sticks had better wash out of my pants."

"Excuse me." A new voice sniffed, reaching past James to grab a napkin from the buffet line. James nodded, moving out of the newcomer's way, his eyes widening when he got a good look at the girl in front of him. Blond hair. Amazing blue eyes. And the tightest fitting white dress he had ever seen.

And mascara trails running down her face.

She dabbed at her watery eyes, giving him a small smile. "Thanks." She said, moving away.

"WAIT!" James called after her, abandoning his place in line. "Are you okay? I couldn't help noticing that you've been crying."

The girl pouted up at him. "I came to Vegas to marry my boyfriend, but he lost all our money and then hooked up with a waitress." She began to sob and James instinctively put his hand on her shoulder, hoping to make her stop. He wasn't good with crying girls.

"Sounds like a loser." James told her helpfully. "I'm sure you're better off without him."

"He was the love of my life!" The girl cried. "I will never love again!"

"Oh come on now…" James paused, waiting for her name.

"Melissa." The girl answered, blowing her nose loudly on the napkin.

"Melissa. Pretty name." James smiled. "A girl as beautiful as you won't have trouble finding love again. Any man would be lucky to have you."

Melissa looked up over the napkin, her nose red and her eyes puffy. "Really?"

"Absolutely!"

"Any man?" Melissa continued, batting her mascara blackened eyes at James, who raised an eyebrow in response.

"Of course! You'll be fighting them off with sticks. Once you wash your face." He added.

"Oh!" Melissa's hand flew to her cheeks. "Oh my god! I must look like a horrible mess!"

"Nonsense." James lied. "You look amazing."

Melissa smiled. "You are so nice! I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"James."

"James, you are the nicest guy I've met in a long time."

"Well, you now." James stammered as she put her hand on his chest, rubbing his skin through his shirt. "That's me, Mr. Nice Guy."

Melissa's eyes moved up and down appreciatively, checking out his physique. "And you're so handsome and muscular. You must work out all the time." Her hand moved to his shoulder as he backed up slightly.

"I try to keep in shape." James gulped.

"Tell me, James," Melissa purred, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Uh, no….."

"Oh my god, this is so amazing!" Melissa squealed. "Here I was thinking I'd be alone forever and now I have you and we can get married here and you'll come home with me to Iowa and we'll live in my parents' trailer until we can buy our own!"

"We can what?" James screeched, jumping back, away from her roaming hands. "Married? As in me and you?"

"And you can come home with me to Iowa! Oh honey, this is all so perfect! I have to go tell my brother about you right now!" Melissa handed the shocked James her snotty napkin and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running off. James just stared at her, dumbfounded.

Married?

Iowa?

What the hell had just happened?

"James! Come on!" Logan yelled, gesturing towards the table where the guys were eating. "Put down the snot rag and come eat!"

"Snot rag?" He looked down, grimacing. "Gross!"

"What was that all about?" Kendall asked, taking a bite of his salad. "That girl okay?"

"Uh…." James began, "Not really sure…"

Carlos looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she was crying because her fiancé dumped her and then she got all touchy feely and said we could get married and move to Iowa to her parents' trailer until we could afford our own and I kind of lost track of things after that."

Logan coughed on his french fry, sputtering as Kendall whacked him on the back. "Married? Did you just say married?"

"Uh, yeah, that's what she was saying. I think that girl is a little crazy."

"James, how many times have we told you to stay away from the crazies?" Kendall reminded him grinning.

"Well, all the hot ones are crazy, okay?" James retorted, plopping one of Logan's fries in his mouth. "And you can't tell they're crazy until you actually start talking to them and by then, it's too late. Not like I'm going to marry her anyway. I probably won't even see her again."

"Oh you might be seeing her real soon" Logan whispered. "Like right now."

"HONEY! Oh honey bear!"

Logan was right. She was heading his way, dragging a very large scowling man behind her.

"Who's the dude?" Carlos whispered to James.

"Uh, I think that might be her brother." James stammered, giving Melissa a weak smile as she ran up to him. "Hey you, what's up?"

"Oh my god, I just told my brother that you asked me to marry you and he's so excited! Aren't you excited Thomas? Of course he's excited!"

Thomas didn't look excited. Thomas looked pissed.

"And he insists…don't you insist Thomas?...that we get married TONIGHT!" Melissa squealed happily.

"Um, I'm sorry, what?" Logan asked, giving James a shocked look. "You asked her to marry you?"

"What? NO!" James argued. "Melissa, I never said I would marry you. We don't even know each other."

"But of course you asked me to marry you, silly bear!" Melissa smiled. "Just a few minutes ago, over by the fish section of the buffet. You are such a kidder! Isn't he a kidder, Thomas?"

Thomas wasn't laughing.

Kendall gaped at the pair. "What is going on?"

James shrugged in response, his eyes wide.

"So of course I told Thomas that we would LOVE to get married tonight. I mean, why put these things off right? When you are so much in love like we are, you have to act on these things. Right?"

James just looked at her. If Melissa noticed his lack of enthusiasm, it didn't seem to faze her.

"So we booked the Blue Suede Shoes Wedding Chapel and Elvis can perform the ceremony. ELVIS! Oh my god, can you believe it? A music legend will be marrying us!"

"Uh, you know that's not the real Elvis, right?" Logan asked the girl.

"Of course it's the real Elvis! He just says he's not so the aliens won't abduct him again! That's why there are so many Elvis look-a-likes in Vegas…to protect the real Elvis. Duh, everyone knows that." Melissa told him haughtily. "Thomas, can you believe that guy? Seriously, James, your friend is kind of crazy."

"Yeah," Logan rolled his eyes, "I'm the crazy one!"

"We're not getting married!" James yelled.

"Oh honey, we can't pass this up! Elvis doesn't perform the ceremony for just anyone! We had to pay extra or Dolly Parton would be marrying us and that's just crazy! Isn't that crazy, Thomas?"

"Yeah." Thomas answered gruffly and the boys flinched.

Melissa smiled at her brother. "I know James wants to get married by Elvis. We've been talking about it for forever."

"Forever?" Kendall asked. "Like, as in, five minutes ago when you first met him?"

"Silly, we've known each other for way longer than five minutes. Seriously James, get smarter friends. Anyway, why don't' you go get changed and we can head to the chapel?"

This chick was crazy! James finally decided to put an end to the girl's delusions. "Listen, Melissa, you seem like a really nice girl and I'm sorry that your fiancé dumped you for a waitress, but we don't even know each other and there's no way I'm marrying you. I'm sorry. I hope you understand."

Melissa gaped at him, shocked. "What? You don't' want to marry me? After all we've been through, you're dumping me? Right before our wedding! How could you James?" Tears welled up in her eyes as she threw herself into her brother's arms, sobbing.

"This is crazy." Carlos whispered to Kendall, who nodded. They knew some crazy people came to Vegas, but this was beyond unreal.

"So, uh, it was nice to meet you." James continued awkwardly while Thomas glared at him over Melissa's shoulder. "But we've got to go now. Take care, okay?"

Melissa wailed even louder and Thomas narrowed his eyes. "You're not going anywhere." He growled and James shrieked, stepping back away from the pair.

"What?"

Thomas gently pushed the sobbing Melissa away from him and stood up tall, facing James. "I said, you're not going anywhere. You promised my sister you'd marry her and you're going to marry her! Even if I have to tie you up and take you to the chapel myself."

"WHAT!"

"Now, hold on a minute." Logan said, standing up and walking up next to James. "That's crazy, you can't force someone to marry your sister. He doesn't even know her!"

Thomas lunged at Logan, who jumped back and Carlos and Kendall stood up quickly to back the pair up.

"I think I can make him do whatever I want and there isn't nothing you boys can do about it." Thomas growled. "Now that guy is marrying my sister or I'm going to beat the shit out of him and then I'm going to beat the shit out of all of you, just for fun."

"Let's rumble!" Carlos said, smacking his helmet. "Time to body check this looney toon!"

"NO! No rumbles." Kendall said, pulling Carlos back. "We are not getting into a fight in the middle of the hotel buffet!"

"So it's settled. This dude will marry my sister." Thomas smirked, folding his large arms in front of him. Melissa sniffed and smiled, wiping her eyes.

"Oh James! I knew you were kidding!"

"I wasn't kidding!" James said, feeling more confident with his friends at his back. "I. Don't, Know. You.. I am NOT marrying you. And even if I was, some Elvis impersonating LOSER would NOT perform the ceremony!"

Melissa gasped. "You take that back! Elvis is not a loser! He just doesn't want the aliens to anal probe him again!"

"Well, no one would want that." Logan agreed. "What?" He said when his friends turned to gape at him. "They wouldn't!"

"Okay, wise guys! I've had enough! This pretty boy will marry my sister right now or some ass is getting kicked. Which will it be?"

"Well," Kendall slapped James on the back. "It was nice hanging with you. Enjoy married life and drop us a line when you buy your own trailer."

"What?"

"See ya buddy." Logan added, moving away from James. "Let us know where you're registered so we can get the happy couple a gift."

"OH! That would be so nice!" Melissa cooed.

"Okay, so we'll be heading out." Carlos said. "Best of luck to you both."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" James yelled. "I am NOT getting married!"

"Cold feet!" Melissa laughed. "That is sooooo cute! Let's go!"

"Hey!" Logan yelled, pointing into the crowded casino floor. "Is that Elvis? Oh my gosh, I think it is! Hey ELVIS!"

"What? Where?" Two heads turned and Kendall acted fast, grabbing hold of James and propelling him in front of them.

"RUN!"

"I don't see Elvis…WAIT! James, where are you going?" Melissa screamed after the group as they tore off through the casino.

"God damn it, we have a runner! Come on sis!" Thomas yelled, grabbing hold of her arm and taking off after the guys. "I'll get that son of a bitch to marry you or I'll rip his pretty little head off!"

"Don't hurt him! He's the love of my life!" Melissa wailed.

"Go go go!" Logan yelled, looking over his shoulder. "That crazy ape is gaining on us!"

"What do we do?" Carlos yelled back, looking over at Logan.

"Diversion!"

"Right! On it!" He slowed down, allowing the other boys to overtake him. Spying his target, he stopped and yelled at the top of his lungs. "WAYNE NEWTON IS GIVING OUT KISSES? Holy cow!"

Dozens of blue haired women looked up, their heads spinning in his direction so quickly that Carlos worried they'd hurt their necks. "Anyone who wants a kiss, come this way!"

Women all around him jumped to their feet and grabbed their walkers, converging on Carlos's position more quickly than he would have thought possible and successfully blocking the aisle way where Thomas and Melissa were running. With a curse, Thomas stopped abruptly to avoid running into the elderly ladies while Carlos smirked at him. He watched his friends disappear into the elevator and gave Thomas and Melissa an apologetic shrug while the old ladies swarmed around him.

"Where's Wayne Newton, sonny?" One lady demanded, holding up her walking stick threateningly.

"Uh, we must have missed him." Carlos stammered while angry women glared at him. "But it was that guy who told me about it!" He pointed at Thomas, who gaped at him.

"What? I didn't say that?"

"Yes he did! He fooled you ladies!"

"Get him!" The old woman with the stick cried, hobbling over to Thomas and hitting him in the shin. "How dare you fool defenseless old ladies!"

"OW! Hey, stop it, ow!" Thomas cried. "This isn't over!" He yelled at the retreating Carlos.

"Good luck finding us!" Carlos laughed as he disappeared into the elevator.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Please remember to review and thanks for reading! Let me know how you're liking this story so far…lots of whump all around planned for future chapters! Should I continue?**

**Chapter 4: Chapter 4**

**A/N: Hope you guys like this story! Its fun to write something less dark for a change! For awhile anyway, LOL! Lots of angst in the works for this story!**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The four guys stared at their hotel room door, wide eyed and scared.

This was crazy.

The pounding on the door was becoming more insistent and intense as the minutes ticked by.

"Hmmm." Said Carlos. "Apparently wasn't all that hard for them to find us. Go figure."

"JAMES! Please open the door! I love you! Elvis is waiting!"

"We have GOT to get out of here now!" James screeched. "That chick is crazy! And I'm too young to get married! And believe me, Elvis will not be the one to perform the ceremony when I do get married!"

"James, we just got here." Kendall argued. "And we've barely had any fun."

"And we only got to ride the roller coaster one time!" Carlos added, looking sad.

"And you threw up on me." Logan reminded him.

"Just the one time!"

James gave them all annoyed looks. "I don't care how many times Carlos wants to throw up on Logan. That crazy girl thinks I'm going to marry her and her very large, apparently very crazy brother, thinks I'm going to marry her and I keep seeing Elvis everywhere and it's freaking me out!"

"And crazy chick is camped out right outside our door, with her very large and very crazy brother." Logan added. "How do you propose we get out of here?"

"Ack! Don't say propose! Don't ever say propose!" James screeched.

Kendall raised his eyebrow in thought. "What we need is a plan."

"A plan would be good." Logan agreed. "But what kind of plan? And please don't say one that involves me dressing up like a girl! I do not like those plans!"

"Those are my best plans!" Kendall told him, looking hurt.

"Shut up."

"You shut up!"

"Guys!" James interrupted. "We need to get out of this hotel room and out of Vegas. Now! And if that means that Logan has to wear a dress then man up and put on a dress!"

"Can't we just ask security to make her leave?" Carlos asked, causing the others to look at him with awe. "What?"

"That," Logan said, "is actually a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because deep down you want to dress up like a girl." Kendall smirked.

"Shut up! You're stupid!"

"You're stupid!"

"Guys!" James groaned. "Seriously, I'm the mature one here? Really?"

"Fine." Logan laughed. "I'll call security and get that chick removed." He picked up the phone and dialed the front desk, waiting for the clerk to answer. "Hello, this is Logan Mitchell in room 402…huh?..No! I mean Brown! My last name is Brown! Logan Brown! No, I'm not in Big Time Rush! No, the other guys aren't here too! No, don't hang up on me! Crap." Logan frowned at the phone, then turned sheepishly towards his friends. "So..haha..funny thing just happened…uh, I may have just forgotten to use my alias when I called down to the front desk."

Kendall frowned. "You may have? May have? You mean you did just forget to use your alias! We're right here, we heard you!"

"Well I forgot, okay? And she's probably not even a fan and she probably won't tell a bunch of her friends and we probably won't get fan mobbed."

"Did she scream before she hung up?"

"She might have…" Logan began.

"So she's probably telling her friends and we're about to be overrun." James finished.

"And James' future wife and very large brother-in-law are still camped outside our door." Kendall reminded them. "So that's just save some time, find an all-night chapel and get this wedding over with so we can have some fun!"

"There will be no wedding!" James shrieked. "Do you hear me? No wedding!"

"If the future Mr. Crazy Fan Girl would just be quiet for a minute, we can figure this out." Kendall said. "We need to get out of this hotel room. Ideas?"

"We throw Mr. Forgetful to the fan mob and use that as a distraction?" James offered, earning a glare from the dark haired boy.

"Real nice" Logan muttered.

"Go out the window." Carlos offered.

Logan looked at him. "Carlitos, we are on the fortieth floor. We can't go out the window."

Carlos grinned sheepishly. "They do it in movies."

"Movies, Carlos? Really?" James shouted. "This isn't a movie! This is my life we're talking about here! My very single and very unmarried life!"

"This is so bad!" Logan groaned, slumping down onto the couch. "We need to figure this out."

"You think?" James yelled, turning towards the black haired boy.

A sudden pounding on the door made them all jump. Kendall looked at the guys, then shrugged and walked to the door. "Who's there?"

A giggle. "Uh, housekeeping!"

"Housekeeping? We didn't call for housekeeping. That's weird." Carlos said.

"It's not housekeeping!" Logan whispered hotly, staring at the door.

"But she just said…"

"We're dead!" James shouted, throwing up his arms in frustration. "I'm going to have to get married BY ELVIS, my future HUGE brother in law wants to kill me and fans are mobbing outside our door as we speak."

"But our room will be clean," Carlos grinned, "Housekeeping is here."

"It's NOT HOUSEKEPEING!" Logan finally shouted, jumping off the couch.

"Guys!" Kendall interrupted. "We can fix this. We will find a way. Now Logan, just go put on a dress…"

"I am not putting on a dress!"

"For the team, bro…for the team." Kendall told him.

"Not happening."

Kendall sighed. "Fine. We can come up with a new plan."

"All you planned was for me to put on a dress! No loss there!"

James walked away from the argument as the pounding on the door increased, along with a loudening buzz of voices. The hallway outside their room was suddenly sounding very crowded. He stepped out onto their balcony and took a deep breath of cool desert air.

"You responsible for all the noise in the hallway, young man?" A female voice took him by surprise and he jumped, letting out a tiny screech. The woman standing on the adjacent balcony smiled kindly at him, instantly calming him. He took another deep breath.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Ma'am." James said, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Just caught up in a tiny fan mob, with no way out of our room. No big deal."

The woman gave him a sympathetic look. "You boys sound like you're in a bit of a pickle."

James smiled back at her. "You could say that." The noise from the hallway was becoming deafening. Chants of "BTR" filled the room, making James blush.

"That you?"

"That'd be us." James answered. He looked over the edge of the balcony, assessing his options. "Maybe jumping out the window isn't such a bad idea."

"It can't be that bad, dearie." The elderly woman laughed. "Tell you what, why don't you and your friends hop over this balcony and come into my room. I'm sure we can figure something out."

"What? Yeahhhhh…." James said, suddenly inspired with the best idea of his life. The balconies were only separated by a thin wall…they could easily hop over and escape to their neighbor's room. But then what…

"Guys!" He called, motioning for his friends. "Come on, we're getting out of here! Grab your duffels and let's go!"

"What?" Logan yelled back. "We can't hear you over the roar of female voices!"

"I SAID…oh never mind." He turned and walked back into the deafening noise. When everyone had crowded around him, he told them his plan.

"You want us to hop a wall….FORTY floors up!...and go into our neighbor's room?" Logan asked doubtfully.

"Logan, really, it's only forty floors. I don't see what the big deal is." James admonished.

"The big deal is my falling to my death from forty floors up!" Logan screeched back at him. "I'd almost rather take my chances with the fan mob."

Kendall scoffed. "Yeah, because that's safe. Remember the last fan mob you got caught in? It took a week for your eyebrows to grow back!"

"Yeah," Logan said thoughtfully, "that was weird."

"And you cringed away from women for a straight month because that girl got her hands down your pants." James reminded him.

"Down my pants!" Logan argued. "Her hand was literally down my pants…touching stuff! In my pants!"

Kendall raised an eyebrow. "Not seeing the problem, bro."

"Come to think of it," Logan said thoughtfully, "neither am I. Why didn't I like that?"

"Camille." Carlos told him.

"Ohhhh yeahhhhh…Camille. Damn but it hurts when she slaps me."

The pounding and chanting were increasing and James was starting to panic. "This is a great conversation guys, but we've got to get out of here. That door isn't going to hold them back much longer."

They grabbed their duffels and ran for the balcony where their neighbor was waiting. "What's taking you boys so long?" She asked. "Doesn't sound like you've got much time left before those young girls break into your room."

"I'm not sure I like this idea." Logan said doubtfully, tossing his bag over to the other balcony.

Kendall hopped over the small wall. "Just don't look down."

"Less talking, more hopping!" James yelled as the door began to crack. "They're busting through!"

"Go go go!" Kendall yelled, catching duffle bags and reaching over to help the others across.

"It's breaking down!" Logan cried, reaching for his friends to haul him across. "They're coming through!"

The door to their room flew open with a loud crash just as Logan was pulled across the wall and they all ducked into their neighbor's room. They waited just on the inside of the room, holding their breath as they listened to the voices filter over to them.

"Where are they?" A female voice demanded. "I know they are in here somewhere!"

"Check the closets! Check under the beds! They have GOT to be here!"

"We will find them!"

"That tall guy is marrying my sister." Future brother-in-law said, and James cringed, fighting off a panic attack.

"Excuse me? Tall guy?" A new female voice asked haughtily. "Do you mean James? Oh hell no! If James is going to marry anyone, it's going to be me!"

"NO! He's marrying me!" Another girl cried.

The guys looked at James, smiles on their faces.

"Why does everyone want to marry me?" He whispered.

"Ha ha." Logan laughed. "Have fun with the whole marriage thing!"

"I want to marry Logan!" A female voice cried, earning choruses of agreements from the mob.

James smirked at the suddenly pale Logan. "Not so funny now, is it Lover Boy."

"They're not here!" Sudden cries of disappointment filled the air and the boys waited to see what the mob would do.

"They have to be close!"

Voices got very close as the girls moved out to the balcony and the boys shrank back away from the opening.

"Maybe they repelled down the side of the building?"

Carlos shot a triumphant glare at his friends when one of the girls made the suggestion. "HA!"

"Still not a good idea, Carlos." Logan told him quietly.

"Maybe they went into the next room?"

The boys shot horrified looks at each other when the suggestion was made, backing up even further into their neighbor's room.

"Yeah!" Choruses of agreement made them panic. "They probably went next door!"

"Let's go check!"

"What are we going to do?" Logan whispered in a panic.

"Quick! Into the back room!" The woman said, ushering them into what they saw was a sitting room. Sitting at a table playing cards were three other women, all elderly, who looked up astonished to find four young men in their room.

"Agnes? Who are those young men?" A smaller woman in a red dress asked.

"Our young neighbors, who are responsible for all that noise in the hallway." Agnes, their savior, informed her friends.

"Noise? What noise?" One of the women asked in a loud voice. "I don't hear any noise."

"Because you're deaf as a doorknob, Patrice!" Agnes yelled back.

"I can hear just fine, you old bat." Patrice muttered, turning back to her cards.

The noise on the balcony was getting louder as the girls debated between each other about whether or not they should venture over the balcony wall and check out the neighbor's room.

"Guys, I think they're getting braver." Kendall said in a hushed tone.

"Those are some cutie young men you got there, Agnes." Patrice said, looking over her cards at the young men huddled in the room. "Real fine looking boys."

"Uh, thanks?" Carlos said nervously.

"Back in my day I could have bagged every single one of them." One of the other ladies, a thin woman with an aristocratic face and blond curly wig, told her friends with a smile. "Especially that dark haired cutie there, the smaller one. The things I would have done to him." She gave Logan a wink and he jumped back, bumping into James.

"Okay, well, I think we should get going." He stammered.

Agnes looked over her shoulder. "Sounds like your girls are getting braver. You boys need some disguises to get out of here."

"They can wear our clothes." The blond said, turning away from Logan. "I bought my wig collection. They can use those too."

"Wear your clothes?" Logan stammered. "I hate dressing up like a girl!"

"My plans always work." Kendall smirked. "Told you so."

James ran to the bedroom after Agnes, intent on getting the hell out of there. "Just put the clothes on Logan!"

Logan sighed as he followed his friends. "Fine, but I get to be a blond!"

Five minutes later, the guys were dressed in the borrowed clothing, each donning a curly wig. James adjusted his, pulling on his pantyhose. "Do these boobs look right?"

Carlos reached up, repositioning the toilet paper stuffed bra so that the right matched the left. James swatted his hands away.

"Carlos! At least buy me dinner first!"

"James, you hussy!" Logan laughed, adjusting his own wig.

"Hey! He felt me up! Not the other way around!"

"Leftie was higher!" Carlos laughed. "I was just trying to even her out with Rightie."

"Don't name my boobs!"

Kendall motioned for his friends to follow him to the door. "Guys, you can play with James' boobs later. Right now we need to get out of here."

"Stop grabbing my butt!" Logan shrieked, jumping back away from the smirking blond woman when she tried to pinch him again. He ran to the door, putting Kendall between him and the grabby elderly lady. "Let's get out of here!"

Noise on the balcony told them that the girls had finally gotten brave enough to jump the wall. Giggles erupted outside the door as they landed on top of each other. Seconds later, they hesitantly poked their heads into the room.

"Big Time Rush hotties?" One girl cooed. "Are you in here?"

Agnes rushed to greet the younger women. "What is the meaning of this? How dare you burst into our room unannounced like a bunch of hoodlums!"

The girls shrank back, shocked at her display of anger.

"We're, uh, so sorry Ma'am."

"You should be! Now out with all of you and leave us old ladies in peace!"

"Okay okay, sorry. We were just looking for some cute pop stars." The girls followed Agnes to the door, looking bummed.

"No hot boys here." James said in a high, girly voice. "Just us old ladies, playing cards."

"We love cards." Logan added. "Seriously!" He whispered to the elderly flirtatious blond. "Stop grabbing my butt!"

"What?" One of the younger girls asked, staring at him more closely.

"Nothing girly, now get out of our room!" Kendall interrupted, shooing her along.

When the last girl left the room, Agnes slammed the door behind them and the guys sighed with relief.

"That was close!" Carlos groaned.

"Stop. Grabbing. MY. BUTT!" Logan whirled on the grabby blond, glaring at her. "I mean it! That is unwanted physical contact! Unwanted!"

Kendall grinned at his friend. "Logan, be nice. These lovely ladies helped us out."

"One grab, Logan. It won't kill you." James laughed.

"Oh, go get married already." Logan muttered.

"I'M NOT GETTING MARRIED!"

"Uh, hate to break it to you buddy, but your future wife is still hanging around outside our door." Kendall told him, peeking out the door. "And big brother is looking seriously pissed off."

"And now they know you're famous." Carlos added. "She won't leave until you marry her."

"You could always stay here with us." Blondie said, smiling up at Logan. Her hand moved to touch his chest and he jumped away quickly.

"Unwanted physical contact!"

"Shirley, leave that boy alone!" Agnes rolled her eyes, smiling at her friend.

Shirley sighed. "Could have had some fun with him in my day."

"Could not!" Logan argued.

"Oh honey, the things I know how to do would make your toes curl." Shirley shot back at the red faced boy.

"Horrible visual running through my head!" Logan groaned.

"Thank you for the help, ladies, but I think it's time we leave." Kendall interrupted. "I think we'll have to make a break for it."

"Dressed like this?" Logan asked.

"I don't see any other way. Grab your bags and let's go. Ladies, again it was a pleasure. Thank you so much and enjoy your stay in Vegas." He opened the door and hesitantly entered the hallway.

Thomas looked over at the four old ladies who walked into the hallway, then turned back to his sister. "I think the dude got away, sis."

"Poo!" Melissa wailed. "I will never love again! And now that I know he's famous, I want to marry him even more! Imagine the lovely trailer we'd be able to buy!"

"He was pig scum, sis."

"Hot pig scum." Melissa told him.

"I am NOT pig scum!" James whispered hotly, following Kendall down the hall. They turned the corner and breathed a sigh of relief.

"They're not following." Logan said, peeking around the corner.

"Good! Let's get out of these dresses before someone sees us and get out of this hotel!" Kendall told them, tugging off the dress.

They headed down to the hotel lobby, grateful when they didn't pass any more rampaging fans or crazy stalkers.

"Despite everything, Vegas was still pretty cool." James commented, waiting for the valet to bring their car around.

"Sure did like the buffet." Carlos agreed. "And the roller coaster."

"Didn't like the old lady grabbing my butt." Logan muttered.

"Vegas! Woo Hoo!" Kendall laughed, earning a glare from Logan.

"Seriously? Now you're doing it too?"

"Hey, Vegas was YOUR idea, bro." Kendall reminded him.

"Don't remind me!"

"JAMES! Wait!"

Four heads whipped around in terror at the female voice that screamed James' name.

"Oh no!" James wailed. "She found me!"

"Get the car get the car get the car!" Kendall yelled at the valet. "Hurry up!"

The shocked valet handed the keys to Logan, then jumped out of the way of the very large man who rushed up to the four boys.

"No one breaks up with my sister!" Thomas yelled, pulling back his fist.

James ducked the punch, which hit Logan square in the jaw instead, knocking him to the ground in an unconscious heap.

"LOGIE!" Carlos yelled, dropping next to his friend.

"Not cool, freak!" Kendall shouted at Thomas, throwing his own punch and hitting the larger man solidly in the face.

Thomas's head jerked back from the force of the blow and he fell back into another car, groaning.

"GO GO GO!" James screamed, grabbing Logan's arms to haul him into the car.

They hopped into the car and Kendall peeled away from the hotel, leaving an angry Thomas behind them.

"That was close!" Carlos said. "Poor Loges."

"He's going to have a headache when he wakes up." James added.

Kendall looked at the clock on the dash, noticing how late it was. "I don't feel like driving all night. Let's just get out of the city limits and find a nice hotel to crash at tonight."

The others nodded in agreement.

"And let's stop for some food." Carlos said. "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry."

"Hey, it was a busy night!' Carlos said defensively. "And I'm a growing boy!"

"Uh, guys? I think that jeep is following us." Kendall frowned, looking in the mirror.

"What jeep?" James turned around to look. "Why are they flashing their lights at us? Holy shit! I think that's Melissa and her crazy ass brother!"

Carlos turned around in his seat. "No way!"

"Yes way! Kendall, step on it!"

"I'm going the speed limit! I don't want a ticket!"

"And I don't want to get married!"

"That's probably not even them!"

Carlos looked. "Yeah, it's definitely them. Melissa is waving her fist at us."

"Go Kendall!"

"I don't know where I'm going!" Kendall yelled back at him. "I have no idea where we are right now!"

"Take this upcoming road! It looks like a highway!" Carlos pointed.

"On it!" Kendall made the turn.

"Step on it!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

"Not fast enough!"

Carlos was still looking behind them. "Guys, I think we lost them."

"Wait, really?" James turned around in disbelief.

"Yeah, I don't see any headlights behind us."

"Wow, they sure gave up fast." James said sourly.

"Sorry, Lover Boy, she must have decided you weren't worth marrying." Carlos laughed.

"I'm totally worth marrying." James muttered back.

"You'll find love again, James." Kendall said. "Now guys, does anyone know how to work this GPS thing? I have no idea where we are."

The other boys shook their heads.

Carlos looked down at the still unconscious Logan. "Logan knows how."

Kendall frowned. "That doesn't help us."

"I used to be a boy scout." James reminded them. "And we're currently heading east. At least we're going in the right direction."

Kendall nodded. "So we just keep heading east and when Logan wakes up, he can plan the route for us."

"Works for me. I wonder how long it will take him to wake up?"

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Let me know. Now I have to go work on Big Time Obsession :D**

**Chapter 5: Chapter 5**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

"Oh great! Now it's raining!"

"Could this night possibly get any worse?"

"Pull over so we can put the top up!"

"My hair is getting wet!"

"Where the heck are we?"

"When is Logan going to wake up? Shouldn't he be awake by now?"

"He took the punch your future brother-in-law was throwing at you, James. I'd think you'd be a little more grateful."

"He's not my future brother-in-law!"

Logan groaned, wondering why his head hurt so badly. And why he was getting wet. "Did anyone get the license plate number of that truck that hit me?"

"Logan!" Carlos yelled, making Logan's head hurt even more. "You're awake!"

"Oh thank god!" Kendall added with a sigh. "I'm pulling over so we can put the top up. James is whining about his hair."

"Am not!"

The car slowed as Kendall pulled off to the side and got out, cursing only minutes later. "The top is stuck. It won't go up."

"Oh for the love of pete!" James screamed.

"Owwwwww!" Logan moaned. "Not sure loud." He opened his eyes, realizing with a start that dawn was approaching. How long had he been knocked out? And where the hell were they? He glanced around at the landscape, startled by the lack of major highway. They appeared to be on a country road, surrounded by fields, trees, a picturesque mountain range in the distance.

What the hell?

"Guys? Where exactly are we?" He asked, afraid of the answer.

The other three looked at each other guiltily.

"Uh, we don't exactly know." Kendall admitted. "We got off the highway at a random exit to lose James' psycho bride and then we got lost and couldn't get the GPS thingy to work and then it said that we'd reached our destination about two hours ago, but we were definitely NOT in Minnesota and then it started harping at us to turn around and then it started doing some sort of shrilly alarm sound so we kind of through it out the window."

Logan gaped at him. "I'm sorry, you threw it out the window?"

"It wouldn't shut up!" James argued. "Turn around. Turn around. Turn around! That's all it ever said!"

"Because it wanted you to TURN AROUND!" Logan yelled.

"Well, we couldn't figure it out." Kendall yelled back. "And it was obviously broken anyway so we just got rid of it."

Logan rubbed the bridge of his nose, wishing his headache would go away. "So let me get this straight. We are in the middle of who knows where, obviously lost, you threw away my GPS and it's raining and the top won't go up."

"Yup." Kendall nodded. "Sounds about right."

"Oh. Okay. Well then…DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW BAD THIS IS!" Logan screamed in frustration. "We don't know where we are. We are in the middle of freakin nowhere and how the hell are we going to find our way to Minnesota?"

"Uhhh…" Carlos stammered, looking at the other two for ideas. They only shrugged back at him and waited for Logan to calm down.

"Oh, hold on a minute." Logan pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "I have GPS on my phone." He stared at his screen, his frustration visibly mounting. "NO SERVICE! Of course I don't have service because we're in the middle of nowhere!"

"Yeah, we, uh, checked our phones an hour ago." James admitted. "We don't have service either."

"Crap."

"At least the rain is stopping." Carlos pointed out cheerfully, smiling as the sun rose up over the mountains. "And the view is amazing."

Logan had to admit that it was pretty amazing. But they were still majorly screwed. He closed his eyes, trying to think, but it was proving difficult. He was wet. He had a headache. He was cold. And they were lost.

"I'm hungry." Carlos said, making Logan groan.

"Yeah, me too." James added and Kendall nodded his own agreement.

"What is it with you guys and food? And do you see a place nearby to eat?" Logan fumed.

"Dude, food will make your head feel better and make you forget about that ugly bruise on your cheek." James told him.

"Ugly bruise?" Logan touched his check and winced, realizing that it hurt like a son of a bitch. That psycho had hit him hard.

James nodded. "Yeah, pretty hideous. Hope it fades before you have to give your smart guy speech at graduation."

"Girls will think it's badass." Kendall told him helpfully.

"Speaking of food," Carlos interrupted, "we're coming up on a town. Let's see if they have someplace we can eat!"

"Gainesville." James read as they passed the sign. "Population 1201. I wonder who the one is. Do you think they update the sign every time someone, you know, like dies or moves away or has a baby?"

Kendall frowned. "I'm not seeing a McDonalds or any fast food places. And look for a gas station…we are getting dangerously low on gas." He said, looking around the small town as he drove down the main street. The others glanced around, taking in the small buildings and mom/pop shops. Not a chain store in sight.

"Gas wouldn't be a problem if you'd stayed on the main highway." Logan mumbled.

"Logan, where is your sense of adventure?" Kendall laughed. "If we'd stayed on the highway we would have missed all the cool scenery and we never would have had the privilege of seeing Gainesville, population 1201."

Logan looked around doubtfully. "Yeah, nice place."

"It's got a stoplight." James pointed out.

"And a gas station." Kendall sighed with relief. "Thank god."

"Look!" Carlos said excitedly, pointing off to the side. "A diner! Let's eat there!"

"Eggs and Stuff Family Diner." James read off the side. "Betting they serve eggs and stuff."

"Eggs and stuff sound awesome to me." Kendall said hungrily. "I like both eggs and stuff."

"Breakfast sounds good." Logan agreed. "And it's not like we have much choice, by the looks of this town."

"Awesome." Kendall pulled the car into a spot in front of the diner and the boys got out, feeling completely waterlogged and miserable.

"We look like crap." James moaned. "What if a fan sees us like this?"

Logan looked around at the other patrons in the diner. Mostly elderly couples and tired looking workers, probably just getting off their shift at some factory. "I don't think we have to worry about any fans seeing us here."

"Just pick any seat, boys!" A cheery voice called out from the back. "I'll be right out!"

Carlos chose a booth and the tired boys sat down, trying to ignore the suspicious glances coming their way from the other diners.

"Weird vibes in this place." James whispered. "Why is everyone staring at us?"

The others shrugged.

"Must be Logan's bruised face." Kendall laughed, earning a glare from the dark haired boy.

"Not my fault!" Logan whispered back. "If James had just married that girl, we wouldn't be lost right now and my face wouldn't hurt."

"Or if you had just ducked too." James pointed out. "Seriously dude, you need to learn to avoid a punch. I did."

Logan glared at him as the waitress, a plump smiling woman in her mid-fifties, came over to them and set down some menus.

"Well, good morning boys." She said cheerily. "My name is Sandy and I'll be serving you today. I must say, it's not often we get strangers in town and such handsome ones at that." She beamed at them while they opened their menus.

"We got a little lost." Logan explained while he looked over the menu. "Maybe you can help us. How do we get to the highway from here?"

Sandy frowned. "Well, now, you're quite a bit off from the highway. I can get you a map before you leave and help you plan your route. But hungry boys won't be able to navigate. What can I get you to eat?"

"Eggs!" Carlos said happily. "Oh, and pancakes and bacon and sausage and toast with jelly. Oh, and hash browns too!"

The others smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Sounds good." James closed his menu. "I'll have the same."

"Me too." Logan agreed, too tired to look over the menu anymore.

"Guess I'll do it too." Kendall told Sandy. "All of that sounds amazing and I'm starving."

"Perfect!" Sandy beamed, writing down their orders. "I'll be right back out with some orange juice and coffee."

"Coffee." Logan groaned. "Yes please!"

"What's the matter with your face, boy?" A gruff old man said suddenly, turning around on his stool to face the group. "You some sort of trouble maker? We don't take kindly to trouble makers around here."

Logan gaped back at the man. "No sir! I'm not a trouble maker. It was an accident."

"He didn't duck." James said helpfully, earning a glare from Logan.

"Just so you all know." The man said grumpily, turning back to his food. "Hoodlums don't belong here."

"Oh, don't you boys pay a mind to Harold." Sandy said brightly, giving the old man a stare before heading to the boys' table with a coffee pot. "He's just a cantankerous old fool."

"I ain't no fool." Harold grumbled. "Just don't like trouble makers making trouble in my town."

"They ain't making no trouble, you old fool." Sandy told him. "They're just lost."

"What you mean they're lost." Harold scoffed, turning back around. "You boys got yourselves lost?"

Logan glared at his friends, who had the decency to look embarrassed.

"The GPS thing was wrong." James told the old man, who smirked.

"We didn't have no fancy GPS when I was young and I ain't never been lost. Where ya'll headin?"

"Uh, Minnesota." Carlos told him.

The old man broke into loud laughter. "Minnesota? You guys hear that?" He yelled to the other diners. "These boys are headin to Minnesota and they in our town."

The other diners joined in the laughter, making the guys' faces turn red with embarrassment.

"You boys know there's a highway done takes you to Minnesota, right?" Another man told them, making the diners laugh again.

"Yeah." Logan admitted, putting his aching head in his hands. "We know."

"You also know you ain't nowhere near the highway, don't yah?"

"Yup. Know that to."

"Haha!" Harold continued to laugh as he turned back around to eat his food.

"You boys are a bit out of your way." Sandy said as she brought their plates to the table. "What you heading to Minnesota for?"

"High School graduation." Carlos told her, digging happily into his food.

"Well, that sounds nice. Your mommas are going to be worried about you if you don't get there soon."

"Oh, she doesn't know where we're at and we're not expected for a week." Carlos said with a mouthful of pancakes.

"Oh." Sandy smiled.

"Carlos!" Logan said, slapping his friend in the shoulder when Sandy walked away. "Don't tell strangers everything about us! That isn't safe."

"And don't take candy from strangers." Kendall added, laughing. "We know the rules, Logan."

"Apparently you don't. You don't go blabbing every little detail about our trip in a diner full of weirdo strangers."

"You worry too much, Loges." James said, eating his eggs. "No one here cares about us."

Logan sighed and pushed around his greasy, diner food. He eyed his eggs doubtfully and took a small bite, grimacing. His set his fork down and looked around the diner, his eyes locking with a scowling man dressed in the brown clothes of a sheriff's deputy, who was glaring right back at him.

Logan swallowed and quickly looked away, taking a bite of food. He knew he was being crazy, but he could almost feel the other man's eyes still boring into him. He raised his eyes as discreetly as he could, his heart dropping when he saw that the cop was still staring at him.

At him!

Not the other guys…the man was staring just at him.

It was the creepiest thing that Logan had ever encountered and he suddenly lost his appetite for the unappealing greasy food in front of him.

"Uh, guys? That cop is looking at us weird." Logan whispered

James glanced up from his plate. "Fan?"

"Kind of old…and a dude." Kendall pointed out.

James shrugged it off. "I bet it's a small town thing. Strangers show up, local fuzz keeps an eye on them."

Logan shivered and pushed away his place. "Well, it's freakin me out!"

Carlos pulled Logan's discarded food towards him. "Can I have your food?" He asked, already helping himself to Logan's eggs.

"Go for it." Logan nodded. He stood up. "Hey, I'm going to walk over to that drug store and grab some Motrin. My head is killing me."

"Get me a candy bar." Carlos said, his mouth full of eggs.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Sure. Be right back." He diverted his eyes away from the cop as he walked by, feeling the other man's gaze on his back as he walked out the door. He felt weird admitting it, even just to himself, but he was almost relieved to be out of the café and away from the strange man. He'd never gotten such a weird vibe from someone before.

He walked into the pharmacy and smiled at the elderly lady behind the counter. She smiled back as Logan bent down to retrieve the much needed Motrin from the bottom shelf. He grabbed a candy bar and headed to the counter.

"Good morning ma'am." Logan said cheerfully, pulling out his wallet to pay for the medicine and candy bar.

"A lovely good morning to you, young man." The woman returned brightly. "I haven't seen you around before."

"Just passing through." Logan told her as he paid for his items. "We're heading out in a few minutes."

The woman frowned slightly. "Just be careful, son." She told him, her eyes darting to the window nervously. "The roads around Gainesville can be treacherous…especially for handsome young men."

Logan felt a prickle of unease pass through him again. "I'm sorry?"

The woman lowered her voice and leaned towards Logan. "I'm just saying that sometimes strangers disappear. You look like a nice young man, so please promise me you'll be careful."

"Uh, yeah." Logan said, grabbing his bag. Suddenly he wasn't feeling very comfortable in the small store. "We'll be careful. Goodbye."

"Have wonderful day!" The woman called after him, her words sounding almost forced and overly cheerful.

What was it about this town? Why was it giving him the creeps? He turned towards the diner, walking down the tree-lined sidewalk, intent on returning to his friends as quickly as possible. Safety in numbers, right? He waited to cross the street while a small truck passed by, the occupants seemingly staring him down.

What?

Did he really look like a hoodlum? It was just a small bruise, right?

"You're not from around here." A sudden gruff voice said from behind him and Logan whirled around, coming face to face with the creepy deputy from the café.

He took a step towards Logan, who took a hasty step back. "No, okay? We're not from around here. We are strangers who are just passing through and yes I have a bruise on my face and no we are not hoodlums!"

The deputy's eyes narrowed. "Careful with that mouth, son." He warned. "We don't take kindly to smart mouths around here."

Logan looked over his shoulder at the café, wishing his friends would come out to back him up. "I'm sorry, have I done something wrong here?" He asked, suddenly annoyed at the whole situation.

The deputy took his time looking Logan up and down, the gesture making Logan immediately uneasy. "Not yet, you haven't." He smirked, obviously enjoying the teen's discomfort. "I know your type." The deputy continued, taking another step towards Logan. "You act all innocent and goody-goody, but that's all an act, isn't it son."

Logan immediately bristled at the deputy's insulting words. "That seems highly inappropriate." He said, frowning at the older man. "You treat every visitor to your town this way?"

The deputy smirked again. "Only the troublemakers."

"Okay, listen, as much as I'm loving all this small town hospitality, if I haven't done anything wrong, I'm going to go back and join my friends."

The deputy gave him a small wave of his hand, dismissing him. "You better watch yourself, boy." He warned. "We don't take too kindly to strangers in these parts."

"Yeah, whatever." Logan said, turning away.

"Be careful of those isolated roads you have to travel to get the highway. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you boys."

What? Had Logan just heard the other man correctly? And hadn't he just repeated what the elderly woman from the pharmacy had said? What the hell kind of town had they found themselves in?

"Uh, yeah, okay." Logan stammered, relieved when he finally spotted his friends leaving the café. "Thanks for the concern."

"It's not concern. Consider it a warning. Sassy mouthed young men have been known to get into trouble on those roads." The man called after Logan as he hurried to meet his friends.

"Uh, what was THAT about?" Kendall asked, looking past Logan to the deputy on the other side of the street.

"Nothing." Logan said quickly. "Just a creepy small town deputy. I don't think he wants us here."

James frowned as the deputy disappeared back into the diner. "Well, that's fine because after we get some gas, we are blowing this joint.

Carlos reached out his hand to Logan. "Candy bar?"

"Huh? Oh right." Logan reached into his bag and pulled out the candy bar, handing it to Carlos while James handed him the map to look over. Logan sighed when he found their location. "Okay, looks like we're pretty far away from the main highway. But we can pick it up again in about two hours. All in all, we're not too far off course. We're just taking the scenic route."

"Logan is happy again! Woo hoo!" Carlos cheered, taking a seat in the back of the car.

"I'm happy I got some Motrin." Logan admitted. "And I'm happy we're getting out of this creepy, weirdo town."

"I don't know." James said. "It's not that bad. Kind of quaint."

"You didn't have a creepy perv deputy harassing you."

"That is true." James laughed. "We're meeting all kinds of weirdoes on this road trip. Crazy wanna-be brides…pervy cops..what's next?"

Logan groaned. "Don't invite trouble, James."

"Okay, gas is pumped. Tank is full. Carlos has snacks. We are ready to go." Kendall interrupted, handing the keys over to Logan. "You can drive…I had to drive all night while you took a nap."

"It wasn't a nap." Logan grumbled, getting into the car.

"Learn to duck, bro." James reminded him again.

Logan managed a small laugh as he pulled out onto the road and blessedly headed out of town. The further he got from Gainesville, the more relaxed he became. The creepy deputy was behind them. The weird warnings were still floating around in his head, but as they drove on through the pristine scenery, he found it hard to be worried. Kendall was right…it really was pretty out here and he wouldn't have seen this if they'd stayed on the main highway.

"Okay, I'll admit it." He said out loud. "This isn't too bad. It really is pretty out here."

Kendall laughed. "See! We told you this wasn't horrible."

"I'm bored." Carlos said suddenly from the backseat. "What do you guys want to do?"

"Not ISpy!" Logan said quickly.

"License plate game?"

"Carlos, we are the only car on this road." James pointed out.

"That is weird." Logan noticed. "I can't believe we're the only car on this road. We haven't seen another car since we got on this road." The creepy feeling was returning. The deputy's weird warning returned to his mind.

Kendall shrugged. "It's a country road."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just being paranoid." He looked in his rear view mirror and his heart sank as he suddenly realized he probably wasn't being paranoid. A car was gaining on them…with flashing red and blue lights.

"Uh, guys, we have a cop following us." Logan told his friends, who all turned around quickly to see the approaching car.

"It's got its lights on." Carlos remarked, confused. "Why?"

Logan looked at the speedometer, even though he knew he wasn't speeding. "I don't know. It's not like I'm driving over the speed limit. I'm actually a few miles per hour under."

"He's probably heading to some emergency and we're in his way." James volunteered. "Loges, just pull over and let him pass."

Logan had a sinking feeling that the car wouldn't drive past them, but he followed James' suggestion and slowed to a stop, pulling off to the side of the road. And just as he'd feared, the police car pulled up quickly behind them.

"It stopped!" Kendall said in disbelief. "What the heck is going on?"

James shook his head. "I don't know, but I don't like it. This is getting weird."

"Just play along." Logan said. "What's the worst they can do? Write us a ticket? So we'll just pay it when we get to Minnesota."

"Shhh!" Carlos hissed as two doors slammed behind them and they turned to watch two cops approach. One was the same deputy from the diner. The other man was dressed in the same uniform, but he was a good ten years older, with salt and pepper hair cropped close to his head. His aviator sunglasses hid his eyes, but the boys could feel his gaze on them anyway. Deputy Perv was smirking as he followed the older man to the front of the car and turned to face the confused teenagers.

"Uh, can we help you officers?" Logan began, not sure what else to say. "Do you want to see my license and registration?"

"Step out of the car please and put your hands on the hood." The older officer said, startling the boys.

"What?" James asked, not sure he heard the man right.

Deputy Creepy stepped forward, his hand resting on the sidearm at his waist. "He said step out of the car, son. I don't believe he stuttered."

"But why?" Kendall said. "We weren't doing anything wrong. Logan was doing the speed limit."

"Boy, if I want your opinion I'll give it to you. Now step out of the car and put your hands on the hood before things get ugly."

Carlos glared at the man. "You can't just pull us over for no reason." He said.

"What's that cupcake? You think you're an expert on the law?"

"My dad is a cop."

"Then you know we can pull you over for a busted taillight." Deputy Creepy said.

"Our taillight isn't broken." Logan argued, getting angry.

Glass shattered loudly behind them as the other officer returned to the front of the car. "Looks broken to me."

"Hey!" Kendall yelled, jumping up out of his seat. "You just broke our light!"

"What the hell!" James shouted angrily.

The officer looked at them. "Now I'm going to tell you boys one more time before things go south. Get out of that car and put your goddamn hands on the hood or I will be forced to make you comply with my directive."

"Come on guys." Kendall said under his breath as he undid his seatbelt and got out of the car. The others looked at him in surprise but followed his lead just the same. One by one they slowly moved to the front of the car and put their hands on the hood, feeling completely ridiculous.

"Spread your legs apart so we can frisk you." Deputy Perv ordered and the guys bristled at the order.

"Did we actually do something wrong?" James demanded to know, turning his head to look at the officers. A hand shot out and cuffed him brutally upside the head, making him curse as stars floated across his eyes.

"What the hell!" Logan yelled, twirling around to face the cops. "You can't just hit him like that! He didn't do anything to you!"

"Boy, you seem to have an issue with authority." Deputy Perv sneered, stalking over to Logan

"I have a problem with someone hitting my friend when he didn't do anything wrong!" Logan yelled, refusing to back down.

"Logan…" James cautioned, still holding his aching head.

"You need a lesson in obeying commands, boy?" The older officer asked, the tone of his voice making the hairs on the back of Logan's neck stand up. Even Perv stepped back, allowing the other man to stand directly in front of Logan.

"He didn't mean anything by it." Kendall said quickly, coming to Logan's rescue. "We just don't understand what we did wrong."

"You back off, blondie, and put your hands back on the car. I'm going to have a chat with your little friend." The officer ordered. "Now, son, you got something you want to say to me?"

Logan was starting to feel a bit nervous. He licked his lips, contemplating his options. This whole situation was getting out of hand. "We would just like to know what you stopped us for." He said, trying to keep his voice calm. "I don't think you can treat us this way."

The other man smirked. "Oh? You don't' think I can treat you this way, do ya? Well, let me enlighten you, smart boy. I am the Sheriff of this county. I rule here. My word is law. And if I want to stop a couple of hoodlums and teach them a lesson, then I can do whatever the hell I want. And there is nothing you can do to stop me." He moved faster than Logan would have thought possible and punched him solidly in the stomach, making Logan sputter as he sank to the ground, holding his abdomen. Tears welled up in his eyes as he struggled to take a breath. Before he could recover, the older man kicked out, catching him in the side with his heavy boot and knocking him into the side of the car. Logan could hear his friends protest as he lay on the ground, trying to process what the hell had just happened to him.

He heard the sound of a gun being pulled out of its holster and suddenly his world stopped, his eyes focused on the two officers now pointing their handguns at his friends, who were holding their hands up above their heads, their eyes wide.

"That. Is. ENOUGH!" The Sheriff yelled, pointing his weapon at James. "Now I was trying to be nice, but you boys give me no choice. You all are under arrest!"

"WHAT?" James screeched in surprise.

"You heard me, pretty boy. You and your friends are under arrest. Let's see how you like spending a night in jail." The Sheriff barked out.

"But we didn't do anything!" Kendall protested as Deputy Perv wrenched his hands behind his back and snapped on a pair of cuffs.

"We weren't even speeding or anything!" Carlos added, wincing as he received the same treatment as Kendall.

"This is ridiculous!" James yelled, unhappily putting his hands behind his back so that the deputy could cuff him too.

"Like I said, boys, I'm in charge here. You get cocky with me, you spend the night in jail. You'll find I can do whatever I want to smart mouthed boys in my county. Anything I want."

"We'll see about that." Logan groaned as Deputy Perv hauled him to his feet and carried him to the back of the squad car. The deputy pulled him up higher and put his mouth near his ear before he pushed him in the car, his words filling Logan with a fear like he'd never known.

"Just wait till I get you alone in a cell." The other man whispered, just loud enough for Logan to hear. "Have you ever been strip searched?"

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Yeah, I know it's not Obsession, but this story is running through my mind and I'm having fun writing it. There is one scene in Obsession that I'm struggling over and until I get past it, I can't post the chapter. I'm working on it though. Until then, I hope you are enjoying this story.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Chapter 6: Chapter 6**

**A/N: Thanks for the positive reviews : -) This story is fun to write!**

**Disclaimer: Of course I own nothing.**

**CHAPTER SIX**

"This is crap!" James said from the back seat of the squad car. "Carlos, quit crowding me!"

"I'm not trying to crowd you." Carlos returned. "It's just crowded back here!"

"Listen, Sheriff…" Kendall trailed off, waiting for a name.

"Cole." The older man said. "The name's Sheriff Cole."

"Sheriff Cole. You can't just arrest us for no reason." Kendall added, throwing a worried glance towards Logan, who had gone eerily pale and quiet. "We have rights."

"You lost your rights when you committed crimes in my county." The Sheriff said, turning around to glare at the boys.

"Crimes? What crimes?" James shouted back. "We didn't do anything! We were just passing through and you stopped us. And what about our car? You can't just leave it back on that road!"

The Sheriff turned to look at James, scowling. "Deputy Smith here will return for your car after you boys are processed. So why don't you quiet the hell down and pray I don't slap some more charges on you, boy!"

"Made up charges don't hold up in court." He muttered.

"You think you actually get to go to court?" The Sheriff laughed. "Boy, you sure got something to learn about these parts."

"Of course we get to go to court." Logan said, finally joining the conversation. "You can't hold us for more than 72 hours without allowing us to be arraigned by a judge."

"So Mr. Smarty Pants finally grew a pair." Pervert laughed. "And thinks he knows everything."

"He's right!" Carlos defended.

"So how about I don't hold you for more than 72 hours, Smart Guy." The Sheriff told them, and the boys stopped, suddenly realizing just how bad things were. He could hold them for 72 hours, without filing charges. Three days. They could be locked up in some backwater jail for three days, with no rights, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Oh crap.

"Listen, we have to be in Minnesota by the end of the week!" Logan said desperately, trying to persuade them to change their minds. "People will miss us if we don't' show up on time."

"You boys come into my county, act like hoodlums, and then have the balls to make demands of me!" The Sheriff yelled, glaring at Logan. "You got some nerve, kid."

"We didn't do anything wrong!" James yelled. "Let us go!"

"Boys, I will tell you this once so everyone listen. The next person who talks before we get to the jail will become better acquainted with my night stick. You boys got that?"

All four nodded their heads quickly, unwilling to speak and bring punishment down on themselves.

"Good. Now we can have a nice quiet ride back to Gainesville."

So that's where they were headed. Logan had wondered. He didn't remember seeing a jail during their brief visit to the town, but he wasn't surprised they had one. Seemed like a small town kind of thing. He glanced over at Carlos, wondering if he could hold his tongue until they reached their destination. Of all his friends, Carlos was the one who seemed to be talking all the time. He just couldn't help himself. Even now, Logan could see him struggling to hold something in. There was something he wanted to say. And by the looks of it, he was losing the battle. James must have noticed Carlos's troubles too because his eyes went wide as they met Logan's. It was only a matter of seconds and Carlos was going to blow.

"I think you're full of shit." Logan said quickly when Carlos opened his mouth, effectively cutting off whatever his friend had been about to say. "I think you know you can't hold us for no reason and when we get out, you're going to pay. Big time."

"Logan!" James whispered, trying to stop him even as he realized what his friend had done.

"I think you've got small town sheriff syndrome and you like to pretend you've got power when you really don't.' Logan finished, instantly regretting what he'd done but knowing he'd had no other choice. No way was he going to sit by and let Carlos get beaten with a night stick.

But by the crazed look in the older man's eyes, Logan knew he'd hit a nerve. Uh oh.

But the Sheriff didn't say anything to Logan in response to his taunting. He simply looked over at his deputy and nodded his head slightly, then inclined it back in Logan's direction. Logan gulped as the Deputy nodded back and a huge smile crossed his face.

What the hell had he just gotten himself in to?

"This isn't good." Kendall leaned over and whispered.

No, Logan was pretty sure it wasn't. Logan watched the countryside pass by, noticing that it didn't seem as pretty when you were headed to jail. Worry made the greasy diner food he'd managed to get down settle like a lead ball in his cut. What the hell was going on? They obviously hadn't done anything even remotely against the law. These guys had to reason to arrest them.

But no one knew that they were in Gainesville. No one would know where to look for them if they didn't show up in Minnesota by the end of the week.

They were completely at the mercy of these redneck cops, in their redneck town.

And one of them had just threatened to strip search him.

Logan was on the verge of a freak out as they entered Gainesville, population 1201, for the second time that day. The town was eerily quiet. No one walked the sidewalks. No kids were outside playing. No shoppers came and went from the stores that lined the main road.

Where the hell were all the people?

The jail was straight up Mayberry…only instead of Sheriff Andy and his trusty Deputy Barnie, the guys were dealing with Sheriff Whackjob and his crazy Deputy Pervert. Logan couldn't think of a way that things could get worse. The jail was a tiny building, on a side street of the main road that Logan had just walked only hours before. Set off by itself, it drew little attention.

The boys were dragged inside by the officers and came into a tiny office, consisting of two old wooden desks, no computers, and led down a hallway where open barred cells were located. The guys were lined up in front of the first cell while the two older men stood in front of them.

"Search them, Billy." The Sheriff said to Pervert.

The boys cowered back as Deputy Smith approached, leering at them without shame.

He started with Carlos. "You got anything sharp in those pockets, boy?

"I don't think so." Carlos answered innocently.

Deputy Smith frowned, digging his hands around in the small boy's pockets, making him giggle when he hit a ticklish spot. He pulled out a gum wrapper and a dollar, looking at the Latino boy in disgust. Carlos merely shrugged.

Kendall was next and he glared at the deputy while he dug around in the pockets of his blue jeans, coming up with only a cell phone and his wallet. "Hey, don't take that!" Kendall yelled when the deputy threw the phone into a bin next to the cell.

"You'll get it back when we release you." Deputy Billy told him, moving on to James.

"Cell phone, front right pocket. Wallet, back left pocket." James said, hoping to save himself from having the man's hands groping around in his pants. The deputy ignored him and checked all of his pockets, the same as he'd done for Kendall and Carlos, coming up with only the cell phone and wallet that James had told him about.

"You could at least buy me dinner first." James grumbled when the other man's hand lingered in his back pocket just a little longer than necessary to retrieve the wallet.

Smith smacked him roughly upside the head again, glaring. "Quiet, punk."

When he finished with James and headed for Logan, his smirk grew. Logan's eyes went wide as the earlier threat ran threw his head. He tried to calm down. The man hadn't strip searched any of the other guys. He'd been bluffing. There was no legal reason to strip search him.

Still, Logan thought the man lingered way too long in his front pocket, taking more time than possibly needed to remove the cell phone he had there. Logan jerked away from the intrusive hand, trying to dislodge it from his pocket. The deputy sighed and grabbed hold of Logan's hip to hold him still while he checked the other pockets. He pulled out Logan's wallet and frowned at the thickness of it.

"What you got in here, boy?" He said, his eyes widening when he opened it up and saw just how much cash was stored in it. He motioned for the Sheriff, who lumbered over.

"What ya find, Billy?"

"Cash." Billy said. "And lots of it. You some sort of thief, boy?"

Logan's eyes widened. "What? No, of course not!"

"Then where you get all this money from?" The Sheriff demanded.

"It's ours!" Carlos jumped in, coming to Logan's defense. "We didn't steal it from anyone."

"No way you boys have this kind of money on you legally. Only kind of people carrying this kind of cash around are thieves or drug dealers. Did we find ourselves some drug dealers passing through our fine town?"

"We're not drug dealers!" Logan fumed. "And it's none of your business where I get my money from."

"Oh really?" The Sheriff smirked. "Billy, I think this one needs a more thorough search. Why don't you check him out and make sure he's not hiding anything illegal on his person."

Deputy Billy smiled. "You got it boss."

"What?" Logan paled. "No, you can't be serious!"

"You boys, in this cell. You, in the next cell." Deputy Billy ordered, pushing Kendall, James and Carlos into the first cell. He grabbed hold of Logan and bodily forced him into the next cell, away from his friends.

"What are you doing with Logan?" James yelled, craning his next trying to peer into the next cell. "Leave him alone!"

"Shut up!" Billy yelled, pushing Logan into the hard cement wall. Logan spun around to face the deputy, his breathing shallow as he struggled to overcome his fear. "You. Take off your clothes so I can do a cavity search on you."

"Go to hell." Logan spat out, backing up against the wall. "You have no right to do a cavity search."

The deputy pulled the Taser from his belt and flicked the switch to on, activating it. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, boy. I'm fine with either way." He sparked the Taser and the sound of electricity filled the small room.

"What the hell is going on over there?" Kendall yelled. "Logan, are you okay? Leave him alone!"

Logan couldn't answer his friends, he was too preoccupied watching the spark of electricity dance between the two nodes on the Taser.

"Last chance, son. You going to cooperate or am I going to have to force you?" Billy licked his lips, obviously enjoying Logan's fear.

Logan struggled against the cuffs locking his hands behind his back, wishing he was free to defend himself. He hesitated, wondering if he should comply with the order. The deputy was going to get his own way anyway. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the deputy.

"Choosing the hard way? I like the hard way."

"NO!" Logan shouted as the deputy came at him, jabbing the Taser into his side. His shout turned to a scream as he fell to the floor in an agonized heap.

"Logan!" His friends in the next cell screamed his name, unable to see what was happening, but knowing Logan was in trouble.

"Get off him, freak!" James screamed, pounding his fist uselessly against the cement wall that separated the two cells.

"You boys mind your own business or I'll deal with you next." Came the grunted reply, accompanied by sounds of a struggle.

"Logan! Answer us!" Carlos pleaded, unable to see his friend. "Are you okay?"

"Hey!" The Sheriff had returned, hitting his nightstick against the cell bars to gain their attention. "Let my Deputy do his job and your friend won't be hurt too much. Keep up this yelling and you all will be in a world of hurt."

The boys glared back at him, straining to hear some indication that Logan was okay in the next cell.

Logan lied on the floor while the muscles in his abdomen spasmed painfully, making him groan. The deputy stood over him, smirking, enjoying his distress. Holy hell that had hurt.

"You gonna cooperate now boy?" Billy drawled out, standing ready with the Taser.

Tears ran down Logan's face and he clenched his jaw to keep from groaning. He didn't want his friends to worry about him and make things worse for themselves. He momentarily considered giving in and allowing the creep to do his search, just to get the ordeal over with, but his stubborn streak won out.

It was the principal of the matter.

They had no legal right to do a cavity search.

They hadn't done anything wrong.

The arrest was completely without grounds.

And this pervert was creeping the hell out of him. He'd creeped him out since the diner.

"I said, you gonna cooperate now, boy?" Billy repeated, activating the Taser, sparking it above Logan's face.

"Fuck you." Logan growled, clenching his jaw when Billy hit him with the Taser again. He held it against Logan's skin longer this time, determined to elicit another scream. Logan held on as long as he could but eventually the scream ripped from his throat on its own. He couldn't hold it in.

"STOP IT!" Kendall screamed. "Stop hurting him! Logan, just let him search you!"

"You will hear from our lawyers when we get out of here!" James promised, turning away from the sound of Logan's suffering, wishing he could plug his ears. He hated hearing his friends in pain. Especially when he was helpless to stop it.

Billy pulled the weapon away from Logan in disgust, fed up with the teen's defiance. Hit by sudden inspiration, he glowered down at the panting boy, an evil glint in his eye. "I think I'm going to need some help following Sheriff Cole's orders." He told Logan. "Let me go rustle up some help and I'll be right back. Sit tight."

Logan watched him go, then fell back against the cement floor, trying to control his breathing while random muscles throughout his body spasmed into painful knots. What the hell was going on here? How the hell had they ended up in this situation? Who the hell was he going to get to help him?

Logan was so screwed.

"Logan?" Carlos said quietly, gaining his attention. "Are you okay?"

"No, Carlitos." Logan groaned back, unwilling to lie to his best friends. "I'm not okay. This sucks."

"Just let him search you Logan." Kendall said again, hoping his friend would agree and spare himself pain.

Logan shook his head in denial, even though his friend couldn't see him. "He threatened this back at the car." Logan whispered back. "This was his plan all along. I'm not just going to stand here and let that pervert search me."

Kendall opened his mouth to reply but it was cut short by the sudden commotion in the outer office. It sounded as if the entire town was coming down the hallway.

"We got ourselves some criminals, boys!" A large man wearing dirty overalls whooped, running into the hallway where the cells were located. Four similarly dressed men followed him, coming to a stop outside of Logan's cell. Deputy Billy sauntered past them, taking out his keys to open the door. Logan watched them warily, scrambling back away from the door, to the far corner of the cell.

"Leave him alone." Kendall warned, glaring at the newcomers, who simply laughed.

"Don't worry, kid…we can do you next if you want." A man with dirty blond hair smirked, still staring down at a terrified Logan.

"Come on, boys, let's get this punk out of his clothes and check some body cavities." Billy ordered. "You two, hold him down, you two, help me get them clothes off."

Logan's eyes widened as two large men came at him, each grabbing hold of an arm and hauling him to his feet.

"NO!" He shouted in protest, struggling against them. "Stop! Leave me alone!"

They ignored his protests, holding him still while Billy moved to stand in front of him. "We could have done this the easy way." He whispered next to Logan's ear. "But this is fun too." He slowly pulled his nightstick from his belt, twirling it in front of him while Logan watched it with wide eyes.

He was expecting the blow, but it still hurt like hell when Billy jammed the stick into Logan's stomach, making him grunt in pain and double over. The two goons held him up. Protests continued to fly from the next cell but Logan couldn't concentrate on them. All he could see were the beady eyes of a small town deputy, peering back at him. Leering at him. Looking him up and down.

"Let's see what you got hidden under these." Billy laughed, hitting at Logan's clothes with the baton.

"Stop!" Logan groaned, resuming his struggles. He hadn't wanted one guy to search him naked…being surrounded by five more guys was definitely worse. And they all looked WAY too interested in what he had going on under his clothing.

Logan could almost hear the banjo music playing in the background. He'd seen a movie like this once. Small town pervy hillbillies!

"Hold him while I get his pants off." The Deputy told his friends, reaching for Logan, who kicked out at the other man, hitting him in the stomach.

"You son of a bitch!" Billy yelled, holding his stomach. "You'll pay for that!" The baton was out again and Logan closed his eyes, bracing for the hit.

"Billy!"

Logan's eyes popped open at the shout. Sheriff Cole was standing outside his cell, glaring at the occupants.

Billy froze, his arm raised above his head as he'd gone to deliver a blow to Logan's side. He looked at his friends, then looked at the Sheriff.

"I told you to search him."

"He won't let me."

Sheriff Cole sauntered into the cell, staring down at Logan.

"That right, boy?"

Logan glared up at him through glazed eyes. "You have no right."

"Boy, in this county, I have every right. Have at him, Billy. Make sure you check every nook and cranny on this boy."

Billy and his friends smiled. "You got it boss. Boys, hand me a gag to keep the boy from yelling too much."

Logan started to protest, only to have a dirty handkerchief thrust between his teeth. He choked on the dirty garment, bile rising in his throat at the smell and taste coming from the cloth. He was pretty sure it had been in someone's pocket for years. He tried to breathe through his nose as Billy approached him once more, looking smug.

"Logan! You got this bro! It will be okay." James called from the next cell, trying to calm him. It wasn't working. Not when five hillbillies and a leering deputy were getting ready to probe him.

"Now." Billy said, looking down at Logan. "You gonna let us search you?"

"Let them, Logan! Please!" Carlos pleaded.

Logan considered his options.

There weren't any.

They had no right.

Glaring at the older man, Logan shook his head deliberately from side to side.

Billy smiled. "That's what I was hoping. Hold him, boys."

Kendall, Carlos and James slumped against the wall of their cell, listening to the sounds of Logan's struggles and screams in the next cell. James put his head in his hands, trying to ignore the crude things the large men in the cell with his friend were saying. He knew they were doing it to torment them too, because of their absolute helplessness to save their friend.

He allowed a small smile whenever one of the goons grunted in pain, knowing that Logan had gotten a good shot in, but he cringed at each scream that followed, knowing Logan had just made things worse for himself.

Carlos moved closer to James, seeking comfort, wishing he could take Logan's place. His friend didn't deserve this abuse. No one did. Tears came to his eyes after a particularly horribly scream came from Logan and the men hurting him laughed.

Kendall jumped up when he heard the scream, throwing himself at the metal bars in a rage. "You better hope we don't get out of here!" He yelled in frustration.

Sheriff Cole was suddenly in front of him. "Maybe you won't, punk." He snarled.

Deputy Bill emerged from Logan's cell, followed by his laughing friends. "He's clean, boss." Billy told the Sheriff, who nodded.

"That was fun." The large blond man said, winking at the glaring Kendall as he passed. "How about we check these boys out too? They might be hiding something."

"Go ahead and try it." Kendall growled, moving away from the bars as Carlos and James moved to stand behind him.

"Not now." Sheriff Cole barked. "Leave that other one in the cell by himself. Maybe he'll rethink his attitude."

"Boy's got a nice ass." Another of the brutes said, following Billy away from the cells. "Wouldn't mind a piece of that, Billy."

"Get in line, Bart." Billy smirked.

The boys watched them leave, relieved to be rid of them. No sound came from the next cell, which worried them.

"Logan?" Carlos called. "Are you okay?"

Carlos frowned when Logan didn't answer. He looked helplessly at Kendall and James.

"Come on, buddy." Kendall called. "You have to tell us if you're okay."

"Logan?" James prompted.

A groan came from the next cell. "It's fine guys." His voice sounded weak…oddly strained. "I'm okay. Let's just never talk about this. Ever."

They fell into silence, not sure what to say. Sounds of movement, followed by another groan, made them flinch.

"Are you sure you're okay?" James asked, already sure his friend wasn't.

"Let's just focus on getting out of here." Logan responded quietly. "Please."

"Okay, Logan." Kendall said, hoping he sounded more confident then he felt. "Okay. We'll find a way out of this."

Silence took over again. There was nothing really to say.

Kendall slumped down against the wall, sighing as he listened to Logan struggle to hide his sobs. He would get them out of this.

He just had no idea how.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Reviews? Please? Pretty please?**

**Chapter 7: Chapter 7**

**A/N: Sorry for the huge delay in updating. Holidays, and a bout of the stomach flu, kept me from writing. But now I hope to update more frequently : -) That can be my New Years resolution. Anyway, enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned Big Time Rush. Or any hillbillies, for that matter.**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

"Logan?" Kendall called softly, worried about how quiet it had gotten in the next cell.

A sniffle came from the next cell.

"Logan, I know you're awake."

"Am not." Logan replied sullenly, his voice hoarse from screaming earlier.

"Look, about what happened."

"Kendall." Logan sighed. "Can we just agree never to talk about that?"

"I'm sorry that happened, Loges."

"I know."

"We're going to get out of here. I promise." Kendall said with more conviction than he felt. "They can't hold us forever."

"What time is it?" Logan asked tiredly, unable to get any rest in the cold cell by himself.

Kendall checked his watch and sighed. "It's only five o'clock. You should get some rest."

Logan sighed again. "I can't. Everything hurts too much."

Kendall cursed under his breath, balling his hands up into fists as rage swept through him. This was bullshit. What was supposed to be a fun road trip had turned into the road trip from hell. His best friend was sitting alone, in a cell, hurting and Kendall couldn't even comfort him.

"Well, things can only get better from here, right?" Kendall said with forced cheer.

"I hope so." Logan said. "That deputy is giving me the serious creeps."

"You're sure you're okay?"

Logan hesitated slightly. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Logan…"

"Kendall, I'm fine. Just humiliated and completely mortified."

"That's all?"

"And creeped out."

Kendall smiled. "What is it with you? First that old lady kept grabbing your butt and now this dude is strip searching you. Bro, you must be giving off some sexy vibes or something."

Logan managed a small chuckle. "Yeah, I'm on fire. Old chicks and pervy dudes. Pop Tiger's new target audience."

"If that's the case, remind me to tell Gustavo we refuse to do anymore dating contests! I'd hate to see the winners!"

"Banjo music and overalls would be involved, I'm sure." Logan laughed.

"Boy, you sure got a pretty mouth." Kendall mocked in his best hillbilly twang.

"Dude…gross."

"Too much?"

"Just a little."

"Yeah, I thought so." Kendall smiled.

"Kendall, we've got to get out of here."

"Yeah." Kendall sighed. "I know.

"I wish I was over there with you guys." Logan said softly. "I hate being over here by myself."

"This is ridiculous." James muttered suddenly, breaking his hour long silence since Logan's strip search. "I can't take this anymore. I mean, is it even legal to hold us here? Don't we, like, get a phone call or something?"

"A phone call?" Logan responded softly from the next cell. "Yeah! We should get one, right?"

"Carlos?" Kendall asked their resident expert on all things police related.

Carlos nodded. "Yeah, we should definitely get a phone call."

"Should we ask?" James said, getting to his feet. "I mean, it's stupid to just sit here doing nothing, right? We're not accomplishing anything."

"We're accomplishing not getting butt probed by horny hillbillies." Logan muttered sarcastically. "Really. Let's call them back in here so they can continue where they left off."

James raised an eyebrow. "Dude…uh, are you doing okay over there?"

"You didn't see the looks they were giving me." Logan shuddered. "I swear, they're, like, one glass of moonshine away from making us their boy-wives."

Carlos shrieked. "Boy-wives?"

"Logan, they won't make us their boy-wives." Kendall said, his voice lacking conviction.

"Wanna bet?" Logan retorted. "This is every worst case scenario in every road trip movie we've ever seen."

"Dude, he's right!" James hissed. "Horny hillbillies on a rampage! I'm too young to become a boy-wife!"

"Guys!" Kendall said sharply. "No one is going to become some mountain man's love slave! We will get out of here! There is no reason to overreact."

"Says you." Logan said sullenly. "You didn't get felt up."

"I thought we weren't supposed to mention that ever?" James reminded him.

"Starting now." Muttered Logan.

"Okay," Kendall continued, "What about this phone call?"

"I'm not asking." Logan said quickly.

"NOT IT!" James and Carlos yelled a second later.

Kendall scowled. "Fine. I'll ask. But if they butt probe me, you guys are in trouble!"

"More like you'll be in trouble." James smirked.

"Do you want me to ask or not?"

"Yes. Sorry." James said quickly. "No butt probes. Please ask."

"No more talking about butt probes." Logan said, groaning as he stood up. "Not ever again."

"You started it." James reminded him.

"Okay, so I'm asking." Kendall licked his lips nervously. "Here I go."

The guys waited.

James sighed loudly. "Well?" He prompted when Kendall didn't say anything.

"Well, what am I supposed to do? Just yell for them? Is anyone even out there?"

"I don't know." James shrugged. "I guess just yell."

"You're asking for trouble." Logan called from his cell.

"Well, I'm hungry." Carlos said suddenly. "And I have to pee. So let's just get that phone call and get out of here."

"You have to pee?" James asked, looking to the corner of the cell. "There's a toilet right over there. Just go."

"Not with you guys watching!" Carlos shrieked.

James made a face. "Carlos, we're not going to watch."

"I have absolutely no desire to see you pee." Kendall added.

"I can't go if someone's around!" Carlos whined.

"Bet you wish you had your own cell now!" Logan called out, smirking.

"Bet I'm glad I didn't bet butt probed!" Carlos taunted back.

"Nice! Real nice! And I technically was not butt probed! Just searched!" Logan said indignantly.

"In the butt."

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Everyone shut up!" Kendall yelled.

"He started it." Carlos sulked.

"Did not!"

"Guys!"

Carlos hung his head. "Sorry."

"I'm not sorry."

"Logan!" Kendall yelled, fed up.

"Fine. Sorry."

"So are you going to ask or what?" James prodded.

"I'm asking!" Kendall yelled back. "Um, hey guard!"

"Dude, he's never going to hear that tiny yell." James told him.

"I feel stupid."

"Well, feel stupid louder so that he hears you."

Kendall rolled his eyes. "GUARD!"

"There you go."

"Shut up!"

"You shut up! Yell again."

"You just told me to shut up!"

"Now I'm telling you to yell again!" James fumed.

They both looked up, startled, as Billy stormed into the room. "What the hell are you boys yelling about?" He came to stand inches from the cell bars, glaring into the small room at Kendall. "You want something, boy?"

Kendall willed himself to stand his ground. "Uh, yeah. We were wondering if we can get a phone call."

Billy looked at him. "A phone call?"

"Yeah." Kendall nodded. "We're entitled to one and we want to call someone."

"Entitled?"

"It means we have a right to." Logan said from the next cell over, earning him a glare from the deputy.

"I know what it means, butt nugget!" Billy yelled at him.

"Butt nugget?" Logan repeated in a whisper.

"You want another visit from the boys?" Billy taunted, instantly igniting a rage in Kendall.

"No!" Logan squeaked, moving away from the door of his cell. "Don't want that!"

"They liked you, cupcake." Billy taunted. "I think you and them could be real friendly like."

"That's enough!" Kendall yelled. "Leave him alone!"

"We're just having a conversation." Billy sneered at him. "Isn't that right, cupcake?"

Logan moved even further away from the door, backing up against the wall.

"Now listen, shitheads. I ain't got time for this crap right now. Quiet down or we'll give you a reason to yell." Billy said, looking at each of them in turn. He turned and headed back out into the next room, instantly pissing James off.

"Hey!" James yelled, banging on the cell bars. "How about a phone call? We want our phone call!"

No reply came and James banged on the cell bars again, this time louder.

"I said we want our freakin phone call! This is ridiculous!"

"James!" Logan hissed from the next cell. "Don't make him mad!"

"I don't care if he gets mad!" James replied angrily. "This is bullshit. They can't just hold us here for no reason and we haven't even gotten a freakin phone call and I want out!"

Sheriff Cole stormed into the hallway, glaring at James. "You! Be quiet or I'll have to quiet you down myself!"

"Screw you!" James spat out, pulling himself up to his full height, towering over the Sheriff by a few inches. "You know this is crap. Now give us a phone call or we'll make sure you spend the rest of your life behind bars."

The Sheriff laughed. "Boy, I don't think you're in a position to make threats."

"Really? You really don't think so?" James yelled. "We'll see about that!"

The Sheriff's eyes turned hard as he faced the irate teen. "Alright, now I've had enough." He pulled his nightstick from the strap on his belt and eyed James. "You gonna be quiet or are you gonna keep causing problems?"

James looked like he was thinking for a second, before he faced the Sheriff with a smug smile on his face. "Problems."

"James!" Kendall said, moving to pull his friend away from the bars. "Shut up!"

"Listen to your little friend, cupcake." Sheriff Cole cautioned. "You ain't being too smart right now."

"Kendall, get off me." James struggled against his friend's grip. "You're the one not being too smart right now." He continued to yell at the older man. "You got us locked up like common criminals when we didn't do anything."

"Well, I say you did do something, boy." Sheriff Cole said darkly. "I say you done something real bad. And I say you need to be punished for what you done. Billy, get in here!"

James watched warily as the Deputy came running in. "Yeah, boss?"

"This little shit needs to be taught a lesson." Sheriff Cole said, indicating James with his nightstick.

Billy smiled. "Gladly." He pulled his own nightstick from the belt around his waist and eyed James while Sheriff Cole pulled his gun from his own belt and leveled it at the three wide eyed teens. Billy opened the cell as the three boys backed away, pressing their backs up against the back wall.

"Come on, cupcake." Billy sneered at James. "I told you to quiet down."

"No." Sheriff Cole interrupted, making Billy turn around. "Not him. The blond."

Kendall's jaw dropped. "What?"

"No!" James screamed. "Not him! I'm the one causing problems! Punish me!"

"Punishing your friend will punish you, cupcake." Sheriff Cole sneered. "Come on out, blondie."

"I…uh…" Kendall stammered, looking at his friends for help.

"Come on out or I'll teach all of you a lesson." Billy barked, eyeing Kendall. "Come here, little boy."

Kendall took a hesitant step forward.

"No, Kendall." James said, holding his friend back. "Look, I caused the problem. I'll take the punishment."

Sheriff Cole shook his head. "Back up there, cupcake. I want your friend."

"James, it's okay." Kendall told him. "It's fine."

Billy walked into the cell and grabbed Kendall by the elbow, dragging him from the cell. Once out, he threw him to the floor.

"Have at him, Billy." Sheriff Cole said, slamming the cell door closed behind Kendall. "Teach him good. You watch there, boy, and see what happens when you cause trouble." He said to James before walking away. Billy sneered at James while he walked around Kendall.

"Leave him alone." Logan said from the next cell.

"You wanna be next, boy?" Billy taunted the dark haired boy.

"It's me you're mad at." James tried again. "Just take out your anger on me and leave my friends alone."

"Boss said blond, I beat the blond." Billy said, lashing out with his baton and striking Kendall across the back.

Kendall grit his teeth and groaned as pain erupted in his shoulder. Another blow caught him in the head and he fell to the floor as blood seeped from the newly opened cut above his right eye.

"Stop!" Carlos screamed, rushing to the bars of the cell. "Please stop!"

"Don't hurt him, man!" James begged. "I'm sorry, okay!"

"Gonna cry, cupcake?" Billy taunted Kendall, laughing at the pained look on the boy's face.

Kendall wiped the blood out of his eye and glared back at the deputy, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

"You in my world now, boys." Billy continued, hitting Kendall in the hip, eliciting a pained groan from the blond. "You play by my rules."

"Kendall!" Logan screamed, unable to tear his eyes away from the brutality in front of him. "Stop! You'll kill him!"

Billy paused, giving Logan a sardonic grin. "He'll wish I killed him, boy."

"I will kill you!" James screamed, pulling at the bars. "Let me out and we'll see how tough you are!"

Billy pushed Kendall to the ground, standing up slowly as he glared at James. "You want some action, pretty boy? You think you a tough guy?"

"James, stop." Kendall groaned, struggling to sit up. He spit blood out onto the floor and groaned again, dabbing at the split in his lip.

"Just give me a chance, pal, and you'll see how tough I am!" James yelled, determined to take the creep's attentions away from his hurting friend.

Billy smiled again. "That's just what I was hoping to hear, kid." He grabbed the keys from his belt and moved towards the cell, never taking his eyes off of James.

"Don't!" Carlos argued, moving up to stand by James. "Leave him alone!"

"Move back, kid, or I'll beat the crap out of you too."

"Billy!" Sheriff Cole bellowed from the front office. "Get your ass up here! That Fed is back!"

"Shit!" Billy cursed, still glaring at James. "We'll finish this in a few minutes, boy. That's a promise."

"Looking forward to it." James growled, watching the deputy leave. Once he was gone, he quickly turned his attention to his friend, a worried look on his face. "Kendall? How is he, Logan?"

"He's pretty banged up." Logan said, worriedly. "Kendall, how do you feel?"

"I feel like some asshole just beat the crap out of me." Kendall groaned.

"We have got to get out of here." Logan said. "James, why did you piss him off? He's going to come after you next!"

"Let him come."

Carlos paced the cell. "This is shit! How can he get away with this? We have got to get out of here!"

James perked up suddenly, an idea coming to him. "Kendall, he didn't relock you up. Maybe you can get the keys and get us out of here."

"And what?" Logan asked. "We break out? Isn't that against the law?"

"Locking us up for no reason and beating the crap out of us is against the law." James argued. "We'll get out of here, find a phone and call Gustavo. He can save us."

Logan nodded. "I don't think we have a choice."

"Kendall, can you get up?" Carlos asked, looking down the hall.

"I think so." Kendall groaned, pushing himself up, off the floor. "Owwww!"

"What did he mean, the Fed is back?" James asked, watching Kendall struggle to stand. "You think whoever it is can help us?"

"Let's concentrate on getting out of the cells first." Logan said. "You're right, we need to find a phone and get some help coming."

"I'm working on it." Kendall said painfully. "Just give me a sec."

"Not to rush you, buddy, but you may want to speed things up." James was saying, eyeing the doorway nervously. "That asshole might be back any second."

Kendall grit his teeth and stood up, trying hard to ignore the throbbing pain in his left leg. He gave his friends a small smile of triumph, wincing at the resulting pull in his split lip. "Keys are where, now?" He asked, looking around.

"I think they are on the wall, just outside the door." Carlos said, pointing.

"Outside the door? As in, where those crazy cops are?" Kendall whispered.

Carlos shrugged. "Just get them quietly."

"Just get them quietly. Genius advice, Carlitos."

"Hurry!" Logan urged.

"Yeah yeah." Kendall said. "I'm hurrying. Quit distracting me!"

He slowed down as he reached the end of the cellblock hallway, looking back at his friends with wide eyes. James gave him a nod of encouragement.

"Go!" He whispered, making a shooing motion with his arm.

Kendall took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. Billy had already beaten the crap out of him once…he hated to admit it, but he was slightly worried about what the deputy would do if he found him wandering around.

Logan's whispered warning floated down the hall. "Be careful."

Kendall peeked his head around the corner, his eyes searching for the officers. The small room outside the hall was empty, though Kendall could hear angry voices nearby. Very nearby. He ducked back around the corner to find his friends watching him.

He shrugged back at them.

"The keys should be right around the corner, on the wall." Carlos said. He'd seen them when they'd passed by, recalling that his father would never be so careless as to leave cell keys out in the open like that. Though given the circumstances, Carlos was glad the small town sheriff wasn't like his dad.

"Okay." Kendall whispered back. He poked his head out again, searching for the keys. He smiled when he saw that Carlos was right. The keys were hanging on the wall only a few feet from where he was standing.

Score.

The voices in the other room were becoming more heated, making Kendall hurry even more as he quickly hobbled to the keys and plucked them from the wall, wincing when they jingled slightly. His eyes darted to the doorway, waiting for someone to enter. A sigh of relief escaped when moments passed and no one came.

"Kendall, come on!" James urged.

He rushed back to his friends, frantically searching for the right key. Luck was on his side and he found the key to the first cell quickly, opening the door as quietly as possible to let James and Carlos out.

"Now Logan." Carlos said, moving to the next cell to get his first good look at his beat up friend. What he saw shocked him to the core. Logan had been understating his injuries from the search. One eye was a sickening shade of black and yellow, which nicely matched the bruise on his left cheek. Dried blood caked his head, just above his eyebrow, thanks to an inch long gash. He was cradling his left arm up near his chest, wincing every time it moved. Renewed anger washed over him as he looked at his friend. "Son of a bitch." He whispered. James echoed his words as he looked at Logan.

"I'll kill that guy." He growled.

"Just get me out of here and let's find help." Logan said, looking slightly embarrassed at the attention. "Hurry, Kendall."

"I'm trying!" Kendall told him. "There are a lot of keys on this ring!"

James ran to the doorway and peered out. "I think they are arguing with someone." He said. "They sound pretty pissed off."

"Let them argue with whoever they want, as long as we're not here." Carlos responded, a relived grin spreading across his face when Kendall finally found the correct key. He flung the door open and Logan hobbled out gratefully.

Logan looked around. "Now what?"

"Now we get out of here." Kendall responded. "Let's grab our stuff and get out of here."

"There's no exit back here." Logan observed belatedly. "We'll have to go out into the office and see if we can get out a window or something. We can't just walk out the front door."

James looked back at his friends. "Well, whatever we're going to do, we'd better hurry. I don't want to be here when those cops are done arguing!"

"Just be quiet!" Kendall warned. James led the way as the group inched along the wall, holding their breath as they tiptoed into the empty office.

They came to the door of the small office and James moved forward to glance around the corner. He whipped his head back quickly, his eyes wide. "They're right there!" He mouthed the words, pointing to the door.

"Shit!" Kendall mouthed back, moving away from the door. "Move! Go!"

"Go where?" Logan whispered back.

"I don't know!"

The yelling in the next room suddenly escalated and all four boys froze, listening in shock.

"You can't come into my county and threaten me." Sheriff Cole said, his voice full of venom. "I run things here, boy. You better watch yourself."

The responding voice was more calm. "Sheriff, I think you'd want to be more cooperative. I can have agents crawling all over your little county in a matter of days."

"And I think you're on your own here, boy." Sheriff Cole said. "I think you're in over your pretty little city boy head."

"Okay." The other man responded. "I can see I'm not going to get any cooperation here. I'm going to bring agents in to check things out. I know you're involved in drugs here, Sheriff. I also know you're involved in the disappearance of quite a few young men from the area. I'll find the evidence I need and then I'll lock your hick ass up for life."

"Is that right?"

The boys were all ears, listening in shock.

"Yeah, that's right. You'll wish you'd been more cooperative with me."

James risked a glance around the corner. He saw the sheriff nod at his deputy, the gesture so small that the tall dark haired man in a suit didn't seem to notice. Billy moved slowly, moving behind the stranger.

"I think we're done here, boy. You go get your agents and come back, see what you find."

"He's with the government!" James whispered to his friends. "Maybe he can help us!"

"Should we say something?" Logan asked, looking uncertain. "If he's a good guy, he can get us out of here."

"I'm doing it." Kendall whispered. "We need help." He stepped out from around the corner, startling the three men in the office. "Sir, please, we need help."

"What the?" The federal agent said, completely surprised by the sudden appearance of the bloodied and beaten teen. "Cole, what the fuck is going on? Who is this kid?"

"He's got us locked up." Carlos said, coming out to stand by Kendall.

"We didn't even doing anything!" James added, dragging Logan out into the open with him.

"You boys got out of your cell." Sheriff Cole fumed, glaring over at Billy.

"Cole, I don't know what you're doing with these boys, but I can bet it's illegal." The dark haired man fumed, pulling out his cell phone. "I'm calling in my agents now. We'll be all over this redneck town in under and hour, you can bet on that."

"We're saved." Carlos said, high-fiving a triumphant looking James.

"Thank God." Logan muttered. He stepped behind James as Billy leered at him from behind the fed's back.

"You do what you gotta do, Agent Sims." Sheriff Cole said. "But until I say otherwise, these boys are lawbreakers and stay in my custody."

"What? No!" Kendall yelled.

"Please don't leave us with him!" Carlos pleaded.

"I'm not leaving these boys with you, Cole." Agent Sims told him. "Come on, boys. You're leaving with me."

"Not so fast." Cole said, nodding at Billy again. The boys watched, in complete disbelief, as Billy drew his gun and fired off two quick rounds, catching the federal agent in the back. They stared at the unmoving body of the federal agent as they backed up, out of the office. Their eyes went wide as Sheriff Cole and Billy each leveled their guns at them.

"Now I wish you boys hadn't seen that." Sheriff Cole drawled, his eyes narrowed. "But what's done is done."

"Oh my God." James whispered. "Holy shit!"

"You shot him!" Logan said, bewildered. "You just shot him!"

"He's dead." Carlos said.

"This is so bad." Kendall muttered, still backing up into the other room.

"So now the question is…what am I gonna do with you?" Sheriff Cole continued, following the retreating boys into the next room. "You saw what Billy did. Billy! Get some of your buddies out here and get rid of that body!" He called over his shoulder.

"On it!" Came the reply.

Cole turned his attention to the scared boys. "Like I was sayin, you saw what Billy did. I can't let you leave now."

"We didn't see anything!" Carlos pleaded. "Honest, we didn't!"

"Not a thing!" James added.

"I'm actually blind." Logan tried, staring off into the distance while his hands moved in front of his face.

"Guys." Kendall said quietly. "He was never going to let us leave anyway."

Cole regarded the blond boy with a sardonic smile. "Smart one, ain't ya."

"What?" Carlos asked, turning to look at Kendall.

"He was never going to let us leave. Were you, Sheriff?"

"Let's just say I got a place where I send trouble making young boys like yourselves." Cole grinned. "A place where you can make a certain someone real happy and in turn, that someone makes me real happy."

James looked at Kendall, confused. "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

"Now why don't you be good boys and get back in your cell, before I have Billy teach you a lesson again." He continued to advance on them, causing them to back up until they were in the hallway leading to their cells. The boys looked around, as if only just realizing where they'd been led.

"We're back here again." James muttered, unable to look away from Kendall's blood stains on the cement floor in front of their old cell.

"And you ain't leaving ." Cole told him. "Now get in."

Carlos, James and Kendall backed up into their cell, dragging Logan with them, determined to get their friend in their cell with them.

Sheriff Cole just smirked as he shut the cell door behind the boys. "Aw, aint that special. All the cupcakes want to be together."

"Body's hidden real good, boss." Billy said breathlessly as he entered the cell hallway. He frowned when he saw Logan in the cell with the other three, but kept his mouth shut.

"Good. Now get ahold of Bubba and let him know that we got some fresh young meat headin his way in the morning."

"All of em?" Billy asked, eyeing the boys.

Cole frowned. "Yes, idiot. All of em. Can't have one hanging around here telling everyone you killed that fed."

"I just thought I could keep the short one." Billy whispered, making Logan's eyes widen.

Cole cuffed the deputy upside the head and stormed out. "They're Bubba's now, moron. Ain't nobody else keeping them."

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Dun Dun Dunnnnnnn…lots of whump on the way! Bubba likes his boys young and purdy like…**

**Take a moment to review and let me know what you think…please? Pretty please?**

**Chapter 8: Chapter 8**

**A/N: First, thanks for the reviews! They make me smile.**

**Second, a few shout-outs. To anyone who liked Big Time Obsession, you should check out "Aim to Please" by SuperSillyStories! It's seriously awesome and creepy and amazingly scary. Should be a wonderful horror fic : -)**

**And to anyone who likes the show Psych (and who wouldn't? It's hilarious and pretty much the best show on TV…after Big Time Rush, of course!)… check out "How To Train Your Psycho" by SyFyDiva! I just read it and it was AMAZING!**

**And finally, if you like SMUT! Check out "Study Buddies" by new fan fiction author JessieSWAG : -) She just started writing stories and she has a talent for Logan/Camille (M Rated!) smut!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush. I have never owned Big Time Rush. I will never own Big Time Rush. I will play with the characters a bit and do not nice things to them. Disclaimers should always be honest.**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"BUBBA?" James shouted, whirling around to face his friends. "We belong to Bubba?"

"Who the frick is Bubba?" Kendall stammered.

"How the frick can we belong to him?" Carlos added.

Logan slumped down to sit on the cold, cement floor. "This is really bad, guys! I warned you! I told you these people were one glass of moonshine away from making boy-wives out of us! Oh geez! We are going to be some mountain man's love slaves!"

James looked down at him. "WHAT?"

Kendall began to pace the small area. "Okay, this isn't happening. This is so not happening."

"Saying it's not happening doesn't keep it from happening!" James yelled.

"He wanted to keep me? What does that even mean?" Logan asked his friends. "Will someone please tell me what that even means?"

Kendall stopped pacing. "Please don't make us tell you."

Logan put his head in his hands. "That's what I thought! Geez, this is bad!"

"Okay!" James said. "Okay, so this seems really bad."

"Seems?" Interrupted Kendall.

"Yes, seems." Said James. "But we've been on worse situations before, right? Guys, right?"

"No." Logan told him.

"Not even close." Added Carlos.

"What we need is a plan. We can get out of this." James continued. "We just need to think. Logan?"

"Really? You really want me to think right now? Some small town deputy wants to keep me…KEEP ME…as if that's really common here and if he can't keep me, I'm going to be given to some pervert mountain man named BUBBA! Soooo not thinking right now!"

Carlos put his hand up. "Uh, we're ALL going to be given to Bubba, sooo."

"Yippe for us! At least we can all be boy-wives together! I can see the reality show now!" Logan said sarcastically.

"Just sayin." Carlos said.

"GUYS!" Kendall interrupted. "We need to stop bickering and start thinking."

"He's right." Logan said. "We can get out of this. There's no way this psycho sheriff can sell us to some red necked hillbilly. We need to get to a phone."

"From inside a cell?" James asked. "How?"

"That," Logan sighed, "Is the problem, isn't it."

"And if we get out," Carlos reminded them, "We've still got Andy and Barney out there, guarding us. How do we get past them?"

"Andy and Barney?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, from The Andy Griffith Show."

"Wow, dude. Just wow." James laughed. "That's going old school."

"What? My dad liked that show!"

"Uh huh. Your dad. Right."

"It's a good show!"

James looked at him. "It's in black and white!"

"You can learn a lot from that show!" Carlos continued to argue while his friends watched on, amused.

"Fine." James laughed again. "Did you learn how to get out of a redneck country jail cell?"

"Now that would be useful." Logan agreed.

Carlos looked lost in thought. "Actually, there WAS an episode like that. Opie got locked in the cell and no one was around to let him out."

"So how did he get out?" Kendall asked.

"Uh…" Carlos closed his eyes, trying to remember. "I think he used one of Aunt Bee's hair pins and picked the lock."

Kendall rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, we don't have a hair pin so I guess we're screwed."

Carlos sighed. "Sorry. Would be nice if we did. Sure worked on the show."

"Even if we had a hair pin, I'm pretty sure we couldn't pick the lock with one." Logan told them. "I doubt it would be that easy." He looked at James, to see what he thought and was surprised to see his taller friend staring down at the floor. He shot Kendall a confused look.

"Uh, James?" Kendall said. "What's up, buddy?"

"Nothing." James said, still staring down at the floor.

"Jamie?" Logan prodded. "Tell us what's wrong."

"You'll just make fun of me." James mumbled.

Carlos smiled. "We would never make fun of you." He assured his friend.

James sighed. "Okay, fine." He reached up into his hair, rooting around while his friends watched, confused. "Here, I have a hair pin." He said, handing the small item to Carlos.

His friends gaped at him and his face turned red.

"You have…a hair pin?" Carlos asked, looking at the small item in his hand.

"Yes." James muttered.

"A hair pin?" Logan said.

"Yah."

"James, a hair pin?" Kendall laughed.

"Yes! For the love of Pete, a hair pin! And you said you wouldn't laugh!" James shouted.

"Shhhh!" Kendall cautioned, looking over his shoulder at the door leading to the office. "Be quiet! Now why is the name of hockey do you have a hair pin actually IN your hair?"

"And why didn't we know about this sooner?" Carlos giggled.

"I have a cowlick!" James told them. "And I can't get the darn hair to stay down! No matter what I do! Gel, hair spray, it doesn't work." He looked at them sheepishly. "So one day I took one of Mama Knight's hair pins and I stuck it in my hair and it keeps the hair down. Just until it grows out again and will lay flat."

"You have got to be kidding me." Kendall smirked. "Seriously James?"

"I knew you guys would laugh!" James said. "Fine, just give it back." He reached towards Carlos, trying to grab the pin but the shorter boy laughed and jumped back, out of his reach. "Carlos! Give it back!"

"Come and get your hair pin, Jamie!" Carlos giggled, running around the small cell while James lunged at him. "I'm James…I wear girl hair accessories." His mocked in a high pitched voice.

"Fine." James sulked. "You guys can make fun of me. Stay in this cell and become Bubba's plaything. See if I care."

"We're just playing." Carlos said, handing the hair pin back to James. He grabbed it and shoved it into his pants pocket.

"Okay, so in all seriousness, we have a hair pin. Now what?" Kendall asked.

Logan sighed. "Can we even pick a lock?"

"We can sure as hell try." Kendall told him. "I'm not going to just sit around here waiting to see what these assholes do."

"Okay. But we gotta get them out of here so we can try. Who knows what they'll do if they catch us trying to get out again."

"I'm hungry." Carlos said, looking out the window at the darkening sky. "Its past lunch and dinnertime and no one has given us any food. I'm starving!"

"Hey, that could be it!" Kendall said suddenly. "If we tell them we want food, maybe at least one of them will leave."

"Do you guys seriously think we can break out of a locked jail cell using a hair pin?" Logan asked. "Seriously?"

"It's worth a shot." James told him. "Someone call for the deputy."

"NOT IT!" Logan, Kendall and James all cried at once. Carlos looked at them, shocked.

"I'm not calling them.!" He said in a panicky voice. "You saw what they did to Kendall!"

"Someone's got to ask." Logan said. "And we called not it, so….."

Carlos sighed. "Okay." He moved to the bars and peered down the hallway. "Uh, HEY!" He yelled.

The boys held their breaths, waiting.

No one came.

"Call again." Logan prompted.

"WE NEED FOOD!" Carlos yelled loudly, feeling his stomach rumble at the mere mention of food. "WE'RE STARVING!"

"You can't give us to Bubba if we die from starvation!" Logan yelled from behind Carlos.

Billy wandered into the cell hallway, smirking at the boys. "Bubba aint gonna care about how fed you are, boys." He told them, winking. "It's not your stomach he's interested in."

"We need food." James said hotly, anger boiling up within him again at the sight of the smug deputy.

"Tell you what, boys." Billy drawled. "How about Sheriff Cole and I head down to the diner and get some grub."

Carlos nodded. "That sounds good. Thank you."

"Not for you, idiot." Billy laughed. "We're gonna eat dinner. You ass turds can starve! Tomorrow you'll be Bubba's problem."

"Nice." Logan muttered, watching the deputy leave. "That guy is a first class son of a bitch!"

"Whatever." Kendall whispered back. "At least they're leaving."

"I really wanted some food, though." Carlos said sadly.

"We'll get you some food, Carlitos." James told him. "Just as soon as we get the fuck out of here!"

The front door closed loudly and the boys listened for a full minute, hearing no sounds within the building.

"I think they're gone." Logan said. "It's now or never, guys."

Kendall looked around. "Anyone know how to pick a lock?"

James shook his head. "We didn't learn that in Boy Scouts."

"Seems like that would have been a good lesson." Logan observed, taking the hair pin from James. He looked at it thoughtfully. "I guess I can give it a try." He moved towards the door and knelt down, reaching around to the front of the bars awkwardly. He winced as the movement sent shooting stabs of pain racing through his arm, where Billy had bent it back behind his back.

"Here." James said, moving to replace Logan by the door. "Let me. I've got longer arms and I didn't just get beat up."

"Go for it." Logan said, rubbing his injured arm.

"So, uh…what exactly do I do?"

"You hurry up!" Kendall told him. "Those guys could be back any minute!"

"Not helping!" James growled, moving the small pin into the lock. "Logan, what should I be doing?"

"Uh…I don't know..feel around for the tumbler and see if you can get it to trip? It's a simple key lock, so it shouldn't be too complicated."

"Okay…." James licked his lips, concentrating as he moved the hair pin in the lock. "I'm not sure what I'm feeling for, but there's a bump, so maybe that's it?"

"Hope that's not what you said to your last date!" Carlos laughed, earning a smack from Logan.

"Nice, Carlitos." Said James. "For your information, I know what I'm doing with the ladies. Something's moving…" He moved his arm a little more, angling the pin straight into the lock. "I think I almost got it….."

Logan held his breath, watching his friend work. If they couldn't get that lock open, they were seriously and extremely literally fucked. He shuddered as his mind contemplated the horrible ramifications of failure. "Come on James." He urged, looking at the clock on the wall. Thirty minutes had already passed. The Sheriff and deputy could return at any moment.

"I'm trying." James grunted, trying to ignore the cramp in his arm. "It's not exactly easy."

The lock clicked.

James looked up, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I think I got it! Holy shit!"

He pulled his arm back from the bars and pulled gently on the door, relief flooding him as the door slid to the side.

"James, you did it!" Kendall yelled, rushing to hug his friend. "Holy crap, you did it!"

"Save the hugging for later! We've got to get out of here!" Logan told them, pushing them out the door and into the hallway.

"What do we do?" Carlos asked, looking around wildly.

Kendall shrugged. "I don't know! I didn't think it would work! We should grab our stuff!"

"Got it!" James yelled, grabbing their wallets and cell phones from the box along the wall.

"Okay, I guess we just walk out the front door? Its dark…no one should notice us." Logan said, moving slowly towards the door. Talking outside the door stopped him in his tracks and he backed up quickly, colliding with his friends. "Someone's coming!" He hissed, turning around and pushing them back into the inner office.

"Shit!" James cried, looking panicked. "Shit! What do we do?"

"The window!" Kendall whispered, running to the only window in the room. "We can go out the window!"

Carlos ran to it, flinging the blinds out of the way. "It's open!" He breathed a sigh of relief and flung it open, gesturing to his friends. "Hurry!"

"Go! Go go go!" Kendall ordered, propelling Logan towards the opening. "Get out that window!"

The front door opened as James crawled quickly through the window to join Logan on the outside. Kendall pushed Carlos forward and James grabbed his arms, pulling him out the window as Kendall hurried to follow his friends.

"I'm gonna go check on those kids." Billy was saying from the next room. "Might be fun teaching that dark haired boy another lesson or two."

"Don't hurt him to bad, Billy. Bubba won't pay as much for damaged goods."

"Define 'too much'." Billy laughed.

Kendall felt bile rise up in his throat as the Sheriff joined in, laughing at Logan's expense. "Just make sure he can move in the morning." Was all he said by way of definition.

"Fuckers." Kendall muttered, climbing quickly through the open window. He breathed a sigh of relief, flattening himself up against the wall of the building as Billy walked into the room, heading for the cells in back.

"GO!" He whispered quickly to his friends, waiting to hear the shout. His friends looked around wildly, unsure where to go in the dark.

"Just go!" Kendall urged again, pushing against them to get them moving. Any second now Billy would notice they were gone and sound the alarm. They had to get as far away from that building as they could.

"SHERIFF!" The scream came much faster than Kendall had hoped, making his friends jump and look at each other. "THEM KIDS ARE GONE!"

"Go! Go go go!" Kendall took off, trusting his friends to follow him. He could hear their desperate footsteps behind him, running along the gravel. He had no clue where to go. He was running blind. All he knew was that he had to find them some cover and fast. They stayed in the shadows, away from the main road, running through back yards and cul-de-sacs. Carlos ran into a trashcan hidden in the dark and crashed loudly to the ground, taking Logan with him.

"Ow!" Logan groaned, rubbing his elbow where it had collided with the pavement. "Carlos!"

"Get up!" James hissed, grabbing hold of Logan and pulling him to his feet. "We have to keep running!" The outside light to the house they were standing near clicked on and a large man came outside, peering into the darkness.

"Who's there? Come out and show yourself!"

"RUN!" Kendall said, grabbing hold of Carlos to pull him to his feet. He took off running again, feeling himself tire as they ran through the streets. They stopped a few minutes later, panting hard, listening for any approaching sounds.

"I don't hear anything." Logan whispered, struggling to catch his breath as he massaged the cramp in his side.

"It's not safe here." James said, looking around, expecting pursuit at any second.

"We've got to cross the main road and head for the woods."

Carlos frowned. "If we cross the street, we'll be out in the open. Someone might see us!"

"We don't have a choice." Kendall told him. "We need to get the hell out of this town before they find us." They ducked back into the shadows as a pickup truck raced by, heading back in the direction they'd just come.

"I think that truck is heading for the jail." Logan said. "Might be those guys from earlier." He shuddered in the dark, hoping his friends didn't notice.

Kendall did, despite the low light. "It will be okay, Loges. Those guys won't get near us."

A dog barked in the distance, making the boys jump.

"I don't think we can stay here much longer." James told the group. "We need to get going."

His friends nodded nervously. "We'll cross the main street one by one, draw less attention to ourselves." Kendall said. "I'll go first."

He ducked cautiously out of the shadows, looking both ways down the long dark street. Breathing a sigh of relief when he saw no signs of movement, he darted out, away from the building, and ran quickly across the street, slamming himself up against the side of the drug store where Logan had purchased medicine earlier that day.

"He made it." James smiled. "Carlos, how about you go next."

"On it." Carlos said, slapping his helmet for luck. "See you guys on the other side."

James and Logan watched him dart into the street, running as fast as he could, and quickly joining Kendall near the drug store. Two down, two to go.

"You go, James." Logan said. "I'll bring up the rear."

James looked doubtful. . "Are you sure? I'd be happier if you went first, Loges."

"I'll be right behind you." Logan assured him. "I'm just not moving too fast right now and I don't want to hold you up."

"You'll be right behind me?"

Logan nodded.

"Okay, see you in a few." He looked both ways, ignoring the urgent waves from Kendall and Carlos. He had to make sure the coast was clear. Satisfied that no one was watching, James sprinted out into the open road, joining his friends a few seconds later.

Logan watched, breathing a loud sigh of relief when his friends made it across. He took a deep breath, looked both ways, did his best to ignore the cramp in his side, and moved to the edge of the sidewalk. The headlights that came around the corner in a blur took him by surprise and he froze, on the sidewalk, fully illuminated by the bright lights.

"Oh shit." Logan said to himself, staring into the burning yellow lights like a scared deer. He tried to act nonchalant…it could just be a passing couple out for a drive. He threw on his best, most charming smile, and waited for the vehicle to pass so that he could cross the road.

But the truck didn't pass.

It slammed on its breaks, directly in front of him.

"LOOK HERE BOYS!" Came a booming voice from the passenger side as three large guys jumped down from the truck bed. "We got ourselves an escaped convict."

"I just radioed the Sheriff, Tommy." The driver said. "They'll be right here."

"Where are you friends, jailbait?" One of the large men asked Logan, standing in front of him ominously.

Logan gulped, taking a step back. It was the same guys from the jail cell. "They're not here." He said, hoping to sound more confident than he felt.

"Really. They done just left you here, all by yourself?"

"They ain't left him alone!" Tommy yelled from the truck. "Those boys are here somewhere and we gotta find them!"

"Maybe we can get this one to tell us where his buddies are." The one closest to Logan said, taking a step towards him. Logan took another step back, colliding solidly with the cement wall of the building.

"They took off." Logan told them. "I don't know where they are. They were heading towards the gas station."

"You boys go check out the gas station!" The man nearest Logan said, smirking down at the smaller boy. "We'll take care of this one."

"You got it, boss!" Tommy whooped. "Let's go round up some law breakers!" The truck sped off, leaving Logan with three large guys guarding him. One of them regarded him evilly.

"Aint you the one we got to play with earlier, boy?"

Logan's eyes darted to the side, hoping to find a way out. When he didn't answer, a fist came out and connected solidly with his jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"I done asked you a question, boy!" The man repeated.

Logan rubbed his jaw as his eyes settled on a large piece of pipe near his other hand. He reached for it, hoping the darkness would give the action some cover and looked up at the large man.

"I'm the one that's going to kick your ass." Logan spat out sarcastically, enjoying the way the man's eyes bulged out of his head when he said it.

"You little piece of cow shit! I'm gonna rip you a new asshole!"

Logan sprung up, swinging out with the pipe, catching the man in the side of the head. He fell to the ground in a heap as Logan swung at the other two, narrowly missing them when they jumped back out of the way.

"Son of a bitch just knocked out Hodge!" One of the guys yelled, looking at his buddy.

Logan didn't wait around for them to decide to retaliate. He threw the pipe at them, making them duck out of the way, and took off back down the alley, away from his friends, intent on leading the men away. He jumped over a short fence, ran through someone's yard and came up on another dirt road.

"Shit!" He yelled to himself, looking both ways. He had no idea which way to go and he needed to double back and meet up with the guys. He turned right, hoping to loop back around the jail house and come around the back side of town.

"Come back here you piece shit!" A loud voice boomed and Logan picked up his pace, running harder than he'd ever run before, intent on getting away. He didn't see the root that tripped him…he only felt the resulting pain in his arm and leg when he fell bodily to the ground and rolled a few times, before coming to rest against a large tree.

"Owwww." He groaned, rubbing his elbow for the second time that night. He could hear the men gaining on him and he panicked, looking around for a place to hide. There weren't a lot of options and he quickly crawled to the nearest house, scrambling under the front porch just as the two large men reached the tree where he'd just been.

Logan crawled deeper under the porch, trying his best to ignore the spider webs and bugs…and the stench of dog poop…that permeated the small space. A put a fist in his mouth to stifle a screech as something crawled over his hand and moved up his arm. A dog above him, sitting on the porch, growled low in its throat as Logan moved even further back, trying to remain out of sight.

"Now where did that son of a bitch get off to?" A deep voice growled, so near to where he was hiding that Logan could feel panic building. Heavy footsteps walked up the stairs of the porch, dislodging dirt that trickled down to rain on Logan's head. He wiped his eyes clean, batting quickly at the…scary bug of some kind…that was lazily making its way up his hand.

"He can't be far, Clem." A second voice answered, seemingly right on top of where Logan was hiding. The dog growled again, earning it a swift kick from one of the men. It squealed and hobbled away as the men continued to discuss Logan's whereabouts.

"We gotta find him. Billy's offering a pretty good reward for getting that one back. You ask me, he's got it bad for that little boy."

WHAT? Holy crap, Logan couldn't breathe. He didn't want to breathe…the stench of dog feces was almost overwhelming…another bug began its climb up his arm and he flung it out, trying to fling the thing off. Damn thing had a good hold, though, and Logan closed his eyes, trying his best to ignore the creepy crawly.

"He's around here somewhere." One of the men said, his feet stopping directly above Logan's head.

"What about them other ones? We can go look for them."

"Billy offered the most money for that dark haired kid. I need that money to pay some bills. And Billy said we could all take turns, once he's done. I ain't had that kind of fresh meat since that Cooper boy came out to visit his Aunt."

Holy shit holy shit holy shit…The mantra continued on in Logan's head while he tried to control his panicked breathing. Holy shit, this was bad! The dog growled again, at the far opening of the porch and Logan's head jerked up. The dog was sticking its head under the porch, staring at him with large, menacing eyes. It was a large dog. Logan wasn't sure what kind, but it looked big and it looked pissed.

"Bruno, shut the fuck up! What the fuck is wrong with that damn dog?"

"Probably got a skunk or a coon trapped under the porch. We can see if we can scare it out for him. He ain't eaten yet, I bet. Probably hungry."

"Yeah, may as well. That boy ain't showin himself. Probably hold up somewhere like a scared rabbit."

The footsteps headed for the stairs, making the floor boards squeak as they got closer and closer to the opening of the porch.

Crap. I'm so screwed. Logan thought, backing up as far as he could. He had no way out and those guys were going to spot him soon enough. He was fucked. Apparently very literally fucked. He closed his eyes and waited for the cry that would signal his discovery.

"Hey you redneck fuckers!"

Logan opened his eyes. That wasn't the cry he'd been expecting.

"You imbred sons of pigs!"

That sounded a lot like James.

"Come and get us, you fat ass posers!" That was definitely Kendall.

"Clem, its them other ones! Come on, let's go get em!" Heavy, booted footsteps took off as Kendall and James turned tail and ran as fast as they could, away from Logan's hiding spot. Seconds later, Carlos peered under the porch, looking at a dirty covered Logan.

"Come on!" He whispered urgently. "They're going to come back this way and join up with us. What the hell is crawling on you?"

Logan scurried out from under the porch, brushing at his body wildly to dislodge whatever hitchhikers he'd picked up under the porch.

"Dude, you got a big hairy thing crawling up your back!" Carlos said, moving away from Logan.

"What? Get it off! Get it off, Carlos!" Logan hissed, trying to reach his back. Carlos grabbed a nearby stick and whacked at Logan's back until he was satisfied the thing was dead.

"And now I'll have another bruise there." Logan muttered, running after Carlos. "Where are we going?

"We're going to meet the guys at the edge of town, then head for the hills." Carlos said over his shoulder. "Glad we found you under that porch before those guys did!"

"Tell me about it!" Logan shivered, running next to Carlos. "There are some freaky psychos living in this town!"

Rushing footsteps came towards them, making them dive for the cover of the shadows and seconds later, Kendall and James burst into view, glancing over their shoulders.

"Kendall!" Logan called, gaining the attention of his friend, who grabbed James and headed for the other pair.

"Logan! Geez, you had us worried!" Kendall said, frowning at his friend. "We thought they'd found you for sure!"

"They almost did!"

"Yeah, well, we took care of that. Those assholes are so fucking confused right now." James assured him.

"Come on." Kendall said. "Let's get the fuck out of this town and hide in the woods. We can make a call and get some help from there."

He took point, leading the others through the quiet streets, keeping to the shadows, ever watchful for any sign of pursuit. Pickup trucks zoomed down the road at odd intervals, shining spot lights through the town, impeding their escape. When they finally reached the edge of the small town, Kendall breathed a sigh of relief. Just beyond, a vast field turned into a dense wooded area, leading into the surrounding mountains. That was their best hope for remaining undiscovered. They were good campers. They knew how to survive. They could hold out there and wait for help.

"Come on."

"YOU BOYS HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" The loud voice of Sheriff Cole boomed over a loudspeaker as spotlights lit up the boys, momentarily blinding them. They held up their hands to shield their eyes against the bright light.

"Shit!" Kendall groaned, looking at the guys with dread.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP OVER YOUR HEAD!"

The guys hesitated, cringing when another pickup truck full of men joined the first, the loud victory whoops of the occupants filling them with terror.

"What should we do?" Carlos leaned over and whispered to James, who shrugged as he raised his hands up over his head.

"I don't know!"

"I'm not going with them." Logan whispered to his friends. "I think we should make a run for it."

Kendall nodded. "On the count of three, turn and run for the trees. One."

"Two." Carlos said.

"THREE!" James yelled, turning around as he did and taking off for the woods. Logan turned and ran with him, struggling to keep up with the taller boy as Kendall and Carlos brought up the rear.

"GODDAMMIT! GET BACK HERE!" Sheriff Cole screamed after them. "You sons of bitches, get this goddamn truck moving and get me those boys!"

The engines roared to life, chasing after them loudly in the mud of the field.

"Keep running!" Kendall yelled, slipping through the mud as he struggled to gain traction.

"They're gaining on us!" Carlos screamed.

Logan looked over his shoulder the two pickup trucks barreling down on them. "Just keep running! We're almost there!"

"Run faster!" James screamed, picking up the pace in the gooey mud.

A weird noise behind them made Logan look over his shoulder again. The distance between them and the headlights was increasing…which seemed impossible. How the hell were they out running those pickup trucks?

"I think they're stuck in the mud!" Carlos yelled, slowing down a little.

"Keep going, Carlos! Don't stop!" Logan shouted, grabbing hold of him. They finally reached the safety of the trees and turned around to check on their pursuers.

Logan laughed as he hid behind a tree. "They are stuck in the mud!"

A bang sounded, interrupting the sound of spinning tires. Logan ducked further behind the tree, looking wide eyed at his friends.

"Are they shooting at us?" James asked, shocked.

Another shot rang out, making the four boys duck down to the ground.

"They are shooting at us!" Kendall said. "Holy shit, those assholes are shooting at us!"

"RUN!" James screamed, leading the way into the trees.

Sheriff Cole lowered his rifle and scowled down at his deputy. "Quit spinning those goddamn tires, you idiot!" He growled. "Those sons of bitches got away because of you."

"I'm sorry, Sheriff." Billy said, hanging his head. "I thought I could run them down."

"Here's the problem, Billy." Sheriff Cole said. "Those boys saw you shoot that Fed. They find help, they turn you in and you spend the rest of your miserable life in prison."

"What? But Sheriff, I just did what you told me to."

"They won't care, Billy. You killed that man and you'll be in trouble for murder."

"I'll get em, Sheriff. I can promise you that."

Sheriff Cole nodded. "I know you will, Billy. Let em go for tonight. Those city boys ain't gonna get too far in those woods. Grab the rest of your boys. Tomorrow, we go huntin and we'll make sure those boys never talk to anyone."

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: OH, I ALMOST FORGOT! Someone needs to get whumped in the next chapter…I just haven't decided who yet. If you have a favorite in mind, let me know! I'm open to whumping any of those lovely boys!**

**And I apologize for any mistakes...I'm too tired to proof read tonight.**

**Chapter 9: Chapter 9**

**A/N: Soooo much going on! Two NEW stories are in the works…one will be soooooo horribly rotten and smutty and quite possibly the worst thing I have ever written (and by worst, I mean depraved, twisted, BDSM trash!)...the other one will be strictly rated T and be a more typical whump story involving all the guys. Can't wait for you guys to read them!**

**I'll still be working on my current stories too…Deliverance will be priority…Dreamweaver will follow when I get a free moment…that one isn't being too well received.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing has changed…I still don't own Big Time Rush.**

**CHAPTER NINE**

"What the fuck, man!" James yelled breathlessly, throwing himself against a tree. "What the fuck is going on!"

"I don't think they're following." Logan said, hiding behind another tree. "I think we're safe for now."

Carlos slumped unsteadily against a neighboring tree. "Guys…"

"We can get out of this!" Kendall interrupted. "We just need to call Gustavo, get some help and get the hell out of here!"

"Guys…"

"Phone! We have our phones!" Logan said quickly, looking at James. "You grabbed our phones!"

"I forgot!" James yelled, reaching into his pocket. "I have our phones! We are so saved!"

"Guys…"

"Shit! We probably won't have reception here!" James groaned, slumping against his tree.

"Get them out and check!"

James pulled the phones from his pocket and cursed loudly. "Kendall's phone is dead. Battery ran out."

"Try the others." Logan told him.

"Logan, your phone is dead too. Shit!"

"GUYS!"

"Carlos? Are you okay?" Logan asked, looking closely at his friend in the dark.

"I think…" Carlos began, falling heavily to the ground, "that I've been shot."

Logan ran to his friend's side, horrified. "What? Where?"

Carlos was trying to pant through the pain, holding onto his leg with both hands. "My thigh."

Logan squinted, trying to see the wound. "I can't see anything out here! It's too damn dark!" He probed the wound with his hands, trying to gauge just how bad it was. "It's bleeding pretty badly. I need a light."

James looked at him. "Out here? Good luck with that!"

"I have to see the wound!"

"Use the phone." Kendall said quickly. "It's not much, but it's something."

"My battery is dead too." James told him worriedly. "Carlos has…probably…I don't know, ten minutes left on his battery. We can shut it off now until we find a signal, and call for help." He looked down at Logan. "Or we can use the light, drain the battery, and find another way to get help."

Logan looked back at him, clearly worried. "We have to use the light now, and find another way to get help."

"No!" Carlos groaned. "I'm fine. Don't throw away our only hope for help."

"Carlos, you are not fine. I have to see how bad the wound is and get it wrapped. James, hold the light above the wound so I can look at it."

James bent down and let the light shine down on Carlos. "Hurry, Logan. I don't know how long this battery is going to last."

"Hurrying." Logan muttered, peering down at the wound. "Bullet appears to have gone clear through the muscle on your leg, Carlos. I see an entrance and an exit wound. Didn't hit the bone."

"So I'm gonna be okay?" Carlos asked. "Cause it sure hurts."

Logan's forehead creased as he tried to see in the dim light. "I'm happy the bullet isn't lodged in your leg. But you're still bleeding pretty badly. We have to bind the wound and you need to rest so the bleeding stops."

"We need a place to hide out for the night." Kendall told them. "It's not safe for us, out in the open. Who knows if they'll decide to follow us."

"I need something to wrap his leg." Logan said, pulling at the sleeve of his shirt. There was a loud ripping sound. "This should do it. James, hold the light a little closer. I can't clean the wound…damn, I wish I could…but this will have to do until I can get some supplies."

"The battery is fading fast, Loges." James warned him. "Better hurry up."

"Almost done. Sorry Carlos." Logan said quickly when Carlos groaned.

"It's okay." Carlos told him, trying to ignore the pain in his leg.

"Is he ready to move?" Kendall asked, nervous about being out in the open. "We really need to find a place to hide."

"He shouldn't move."

"We don't have a choice."

"I can move." Carlos said between clenched teeth.

"I'll help him. Shit! Battery died." James rolled his eyes as the light from the phone faded away, leaving them in darkness once more.

"Come one, Carlitos." Logan grabbed under his arms, pulling him up to a standing position, trying his best not to jostle him too much. Carlos hissed as a sharp pain shot up his leg. He leaned against Logan, letting his friend support most of his weight as he struggled not to throw up.

"Let me help." James said, grabbing hold of Carlos' other side. "What do we do now? We can't see where we're going. We have no sense of direction in the dark."

"You were the boy scout." Kendall reminded him irritably. "You tell us."

James narrowed his eyes at his friend, but held his tongue. They were all stressed out…Carlos getting shot was only adding to their worry…now wasn't the time to fight. But when they were some place safe, he'd pop Kendall right in the nose.

Logan scanned the sky. "The moon is east. If we keep the moon in front of us, we'll be heading east."

"Do we want to head east?" James asked.

"The main road where we were picked up is northeast of the town. If we try to head that way, we may be able to flag down a car and get some help."

"They will be expecting us to head towards the main road." Said Kendall.

Logan sagged a bit under Carlos' weight and he breathed a sigh of relief when James pulled Carlos more towards him. "They will be expecting it because it's the smartest move. It will keep us somewhat near civilization. If we head west, we'll be in the mountains and who knows what we'll find there."

"We'll find cover from a psychopathic sheriff and his demented deputy." James told him.

"But what about food? Medical supplies? I personally don't feel like trudging through the woods for the rest of my life. And Carlos needs medical attention like now." Logan continued to argue.

James sighed. "Logan is right. We should probably head for the main road."

"Can Carlos make it?" Kendall asked.

"I'm right here." Carlos reminded them. "I can hear you. And yes, Carlos can make it."

Kendall squinted into the trees. "Okay, I guess we need to put some distance between us and that crazy hillbilly sheriff. How about we just head towards the moon for a few hours, then stop for the night?"

Carlos couldn't contain his groan. "A few hours?"

"Kendall, Carlos can't walk for hours."

"An hour, then. Carlos, can you make it an hour?"

"Kendall…"

"Listen, guys!" Kendall interrupted Logan. "We saw that deputy SHOOT that other government guy! Do you honestly think these guys aren't going to kill us the first chance they get? They shot at us! They shot Carlos! This isn't a game. This isn't about becoming some mountain man's boy wife. They will kill us if they find us."

James looked horrified. "Kill us? Seriously man?"

"Seriously."

"I don't want to die!" Carlos wailed into Logan's shoulder.

"Carlos, no one is going to die." Logan assured him. "We'll wait until it's morning, hike to the road and find some help. We'll be out of here by dinnertime tomorrow."

Carlos' stomach rumbled at the mention of food. "Why did you have to say that? I'm starving!"

"Me too." James said. "Carlos, why are you so darn heavy?"

Carlos winced as James shifted his weight again. "Sorry, Jamie, but I'm a growing boy."

"Kendall is right." Logan said. "We should try to get as far away from that crazy town as possible. Why don't we walk as far as we can, then James can try to light a fire and we'll get some rest. As long as someone keeps watch, we should be okay."

"Try to start a fire?" James scoffed. "There is no 'try' about it. I will start a fire. Five years of boy scouts and summers at Camp Wonky Donkey…I know how to start a fire."

Logan smiled for the first time if what felt like months. "Come on Carlitos, let's get moving. Tell us if it hurts too much and we'll take a break, okay?"

Carlos nodded, gritting his teeth against the shooting pains in his thigh. "It's fine." He told him, trying to keep the pain out of his voice. "Let's just get out of here."

Kendall moved to the front of the group. "I'll take lead." He told them. "Can you guys see me?"

"Barely." Logan said. "This is seriously creepy, walking around in the pitch black woods."

"I was just thinking that!" James laughed. "Like something out of the Blair Witch Project. You can be the weird girl with the snotty nose, Loges."

"Why do I have to be the drippy snot girl? That was disgusting."

"Like, has she ever heard of a tissue?"

"Come on guys." Carlos said. "That movie was totally creepy! Let's not talk about it!"

"Remember when she heard scratching sounds on her tent?" Logan laughed. "Talk about fake."

"Talk about scary!" Carlos shrieked. "What was that? Did you hear that noise?"

"All I hear is you guys." Kendall said, cursing as a branch caught him in the face. Taking point sucked ass. Big Time. Another branch poked him in the eye and he almost tripped over a fallen log. "Damn it!" He cursed again, turning around to warn the others about the log. The uneven ground was proving treacherous to walk on and he bit back a scream when his foot sank into lose dirt and something in his ankle popped. He fell to the ground as tears pooled in his eyes, holding his injured leg. "OW! Ow ow fucking ow!"

"Kendall, what happened?" Logan was by his side instantly, peering at him with concerned eyes.

Kendall bit his lip, grateful that it was so dark out and that Logan couldn't see him crying like a little girl. "Something popped in my ankle." He groaned, doing everything possible to keep from moving his foot.

"Shit." Logan cursed under his breath, reaching out blindly to gently probe the joint. "It's already swollen. If we're lucky, you just sprained it."

"If we're lucky?" Kendall groaned again. "And if we're not lucky?"

"You tore something."

"That sounds bad." Carlos said as James helped lower him to the ground.

"I think we're done walking for the night." Logan decided, sitting down next to Carlos. "We'll get up early and get a head start on the posse out to arrest us. Or kill us. Or whatever." He yawned. "At this point, I'm miserable and cold and too tired to care what they do to us."

"We walked all of a half hour." Kendall hissed through clenched teeth. "That's not enough distance between us and that Sheriff."

"You really feel like walking some more, with that ankle?" Logan asked him. "And then what? James or I get hurt somehow and we're royally screwed. No, we're stopping for the night."

"Agreed. I'll make a fire." James said, peering at the ground, looking for loose wood. "Logan, clear a spot, get rid of stray leaves and stuff. We need to start the fire directly on dirt. Don't want to burn the forest down."

"Only James can prevent forest fires." Logan mocked in his best Smokey the Bear voice. James glared at him while Carlos and Kendal chuckled.

"Real nice." He said. "Forest fires are no joking matter."

"Okay Smokey."

"Just clear a spot. And see if you can find some rocks to line the pit."

"Okay." Logan said. "Find rocks in the dark. And how about I also see if I can find a McDonalds and order us all Happy Meals while I'm at it."

"With a boy toy." Carlos piped up. "No stupid girl toys."

James rolled his eyes. "Just find some rocks."

Carlos felt his stomach growl. "I'm hungry."

"We'll find some food tomorrow, 'Los."

James walked off to find wood while Logan squinted at the ground, searching for large rocks. He sank to the ground, using his hands to feel around, grimacing when they touched unknown and disgusting feeling substances. He pushed leaves and moss aside until he felt cool dirt beneath his fingers, then made a large enough area that he was sure would satisfy Yogi James.

"Rocks." He muttered to himself. "Where the hell are rocks?"

"Soooo hungry." Carlos mumbled, resting up against a tree. "And dizzy. I'm dizzy with hunger."

Logan paused in his search and turned towards Carlos' voice. "You're dizzy? Like for real?"

"A little." Carlos admitted.

Logan was by his side in an instant, placing his hand gently on Carlos' thigh to check the saturation level of his jeans. He pulled his hand away, suddenly worried when it came back coated in blood. "Shit, 'Los, you're still bleeding pretty heavily."

"Is that bad?" Kendall asked worriedly.

"It might be." Logan answered uncertainly. "I won't know until I can see the wound. We need light like now."

"I'll help you find rocks." Kendall offered, wincing as he moved to stand.

"No." Logan told him. "Just rest that ankle. We have to be able to move tomorrow. I'll find the rocks. Carlos, try not to move, okay? We want that wound to clot."

"Not moving." Carlos groaned. "Moving makes the forest spin."

"Shit." Logan muttered, using his hands again to feel for rocks. This wasn't good. If Carlos was bleeding too heavily, they were in some deep trouble. He almost whooped for joy when he came across some large feeling stones, trying really hard to ignore the slimy substance that coated them, and warily lugged them back to the area that he'd cleared. By the time he had a somewhat circular area of stones, he was sweating and exhausted. And worried. Carlos had stopped complaining…things must be really bad.

Logan worked his way back to his friend, ripping off his other sleeve to hold it against the bleeding wound. "Carlos, you doing okay?"

"Huh?" Carlos responded sleepily. "Sorry Loges, what'd ya say?"

"Carlos, buddy, don't fall asleep, okay? You have to stay awake for me. Can you do that?"

"Sure." Carlos mumbled, his eyes already closed again. "Sure thing, Loges."

"Where is James?" Logan asked Kendall, who shook his head. "I need some light."

"I'm right here." James called, moving loudly through the trees. "Had trouble finding dry wood. Think I've got enough to last us awhile though."

"Carlos is bleeding really badly." Logan told him, holding the rag against the wound. "But I can't get a good look at it until we get some light."

"On it." James said quickly, depositing the wood next to the pit Logan had constructed. "Gonna be a bit hard in the dark though."

"Carlos." Logan said again, startling his injured friend. "Don't fall asleep."

"Sorry." Carlos slurred. "Sorry."

"This isn't good." Kendall said. "Logan, I'm getting worried."

"Me too." Logan admitted. "He's losing a lot of blood and if we can't get it to stop, I don't want to think about what will happen."

James cursed, struggling to remember his survival training. He got his kindling together, pushing dry leaves up underneath the small twigs to help get a fire started. He'd only started a handful of fires using rocks…it was difficult as shit and not something he usually did when an easier means of lighting a fire was available. Son of a bitch hillbilly assholes! He was pissed that they were even in this situation. He banged the stones together, directly on the leaves, struggling to ignite a spark.

Nothing.

Fucking shit.

Why the hell was this evening happening? They were supposed to be on a road trip, having the time of their lives. Instead, they were cold, wet and miserable in some godforsaken forest, running for their lives from a power hungry sheriff and his inbred lackeys.

He hit the stones together harder, taking out his frustrations and anger. A small spark lit up in the dark, making hope flare up within him.

Almost.

"Come on James." Kendall whispered encouragingly, watching with bated breath. He'd seen his friend do it before, during a campout back in Minnesota. He knew he could do it. He had to do it.

"Carlos. Please stay awake." Logan urged his friend, watching James' progress while worry threatened to overwhelm him. Carlos wasn't waking up as easily.

"Huh?"

"Stay awake, okay? Just a few more minutes, buddy."

"S'kay."

Another spark and James could feel perspiration running down his forehead as he struck the stones together even harder. "Come on." He muttered. "Come on, you bastard. Light! OW!"

"What!" Kendall said. "James, what happened?"

"Fucking hit my finger." James grumbled, striking the stones together again. "Shit, that fucking hurt!"

The stones sparked once more and smoke billowed softly from the piled leaves, shocking the hell out of James.

"Yes!" He cried, leaning down to softly blow on the smoldering leaves. "Hell yes!"

"You got it?" Kendall asked, holding his breath again as he watched his friend work.

"I think so." James said distractedly. "Almost. Come on baby, you can do it. Light for papa…come on…."

A leaf caught on fire, glowing brightly in the night and James let out a whoop of joy. "Yes! Take that, fucking nature!"

He shielded the burning leaf from the cool air and slowly moved it against the rest of the kindling that he'd gathered, holding his hands around it to keep the wind away. He smiled when the fire moved to the next leaf and the next, finally igniting the small twigs and larger branches that he'd collected. Within moments, the fire was roaring, shining a bright light over the small area where the boys huddled.

"Thank god." Logan said, gently pulling up the rag to check Carlos' wound. "Carlos, wake up. Carlos!" He yelled again, closer to the boy's ear. Carlos jerked awake, wincing as the move ignited the pain in his thigh.

"Owwwww." He groaned, reaching to grab at the wound. "Logan, why does it hurt so much?"

Logan peered at the leg, gently probing it with his fingers, grimacing as he got his first glimpse at the extent of the injury. "I know it hurts, Carlitos." He said softly. "Just hold on. I'll get you fixed up."

"How?" Kendall asked, moving closer to see for himself just how bad it was. "Logan, how are you going to fix this?"

"Shhh." Logan said, focusing on his patient. He cursed to himself and put the rag back against the wound. "Carlos, just rest for a second, okay? I've got to talk to James and Kendall."

"Is it bad?" Carlos asked tiredly, allowing his eyes to close again.

"No, buddy. You'll be fine. I'll be right back." He motioned for James to join him by Kendall and lowered his voice. "He's bleeding pretty badly. I'm worried that he's already lost too much blood. He's tired and dizzy and that's not a good sign."

James sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What do we do?"

"He needs to get to a hospital." Logan told him. "But I have no idea where the nearest one is and we can't go back to town for help. The Sheriff will kill us. I'm sure of it."

"We're fucked, then." Kendall said angrily.

"Not necessarily." Logan looked at both of them, his expression apprehensive. "If I can stop the bleeding, Carlos will be fine. At least until we can find him proper medical care."

James didn't miss the worry in Logan's voice. "But you can stop the bleeding…right?"

Logan nodded. "I think so."

"Then help him, Logan!" Kendall urged. "You've got to save him."

"I only know of one way to get the bleeding to stop quickly." Logan said hesitantly. "And we need to stop it quickly before he loses any more blood."

"So do it!"

"Wait." James said quietly. "You're holding something back. How can you stop the bleeding, Logan?"

Logan sighed. "I can cauterize it. With fire."

"WHAT?" Kendall shrieked, immediately shushed by his two friends. "You're going to burn him?"

"Shhhh!" Logan hushed. "Don't get Carlos worked up! It's the only way I can think of. We have fire, thanks to James. If I can find a large stick, I can heat it up and press it against the wound, which should stop the bleeding."

James shuddered. "You can't think of any other way?"

Logan shook his head. "I've had a rag pressed against the wound, but it's not even putting a dent in the flow of blood. He's bleeding far too heavily. I'm sorry, guys. I don't like it any more than you do. But I don't think I have any other option, at this point." He looked at them pointedly. "Other than returning to town and hoping that Sheriff helps us instead of kills us."

"He'll kill us." Kendall said with certainty. "Or give us to some hillbilly creep, which might be worse. He won't help Carlos."

"No. He won't." James agreed. "We're on our own with this."

"We have to tell him." Kendall said, looking at Carlos. "We should tell him what we have to do."

"I'll tell him." Logan said firmly. "It's my idea. I'll be the one to break it to him."

"I already know it's bad, guys." Carlos called weakly from his spot against the tree. "I can tell from your faces. Just let me have it."

The guys looked at each other before Logan broke away and walked to Carlos, kneeling next to him. "You're bleeding out, Carlos." He said. "I'm afraid you're losing too much blood. You're tired and dizzy and those are signs of excessive blood loss."

"The dizziness is getting worse." Carlos admitted.

"I can stop the bleeding." Logan continued. "I want to cauterize the wound. I think it will work."

"Cauterize?"

Logan swallowed. "With fire. I need to burn the wound shut."

"Oh." Carlos said. "Shit."

"Exactly."

Carlos took a deep breath. "Do it, Logan." He said. "I trust you."

"Los, it's going to hurt." James said quietly.

"It can't hurt much worse than being shot." Carlos managed a soft chuckle, only to grimace again. "It's my only option, right? Do it Logan. I'm ready."

Logan looked at Kendall and James. "You guys are going to have to hold him down."

"Fuck." James swore, as the reality of their situation sank in.

"We'll do it." Kendall assured him. He moved to one side of Carlos while James moved to the other.

"I think I'm gonna throw up." James said sickly.

"You'll be fine." Logan said, moving away to search for a large stick. He found one quickly and placed the end in the fire, waiting for it to get good and hot.

"Seriously." James muttered. "I don't want to do this."

"Please, James." Carlos said quietly. "I can't do this without you."

James looked into his eyes and finally nodded. "I got yah, buddy."

Carlos nodded, closing his eyes to block out the scene in front of him.

"Kendall, see if you can get his pants away from the wound." Logan said from the fire. "I need clear access to it."

"On it." Kendall answered, ripping away the material to leave a large hole around the bloody wound.

"Shit!" Carlos breathed heavily as blood oozed out even faster than before.

"Logan! It's getting worse!"

"Almost ready." Logan muttered, watching the end of the stick turn a bright orange. "It has to be really hot to work."

"Well hurry!" James pleaded.

"I think it's ready." Logan said, grabbing another small, thick stick from the ground near the fire. He scowled at it, knowing it was dirty, but he didn't have much choice. He handed it to Kendall. "Have Carlos bite down on this. Hold him tight now, guys. Carlos, you need to stay still, okay?"

Carlos nodded, biting down on the stick in his mouth, his eyes wide and dull with pain.

"On three." Logan said, holding the glowing stick just centimeters above the wound. "One…two…three…"

He placed the hot end of the stick against the wound, pressing down, trying his best to ignore the stench of burning flesh while Carlos bit down hard on the stick, screaming through the pain. Kendall and James held onto him tightly, both turning green as they tried to look anywhere else but their hurting friend.

Logan counted to ten, then pulled the stick away and held it back over the fire.

"What are you doing?" James asked while Kendall tried to soothe Carlos.

Logan looked at him, giving Carlos a sympathetic look. "There's an exit wound too." He said, feeling like absolute shit when Carlos gave him a panicked look. "You guys need to turn him over. I'm sorry, 'Los. I really am." The stick burned brightly again and Logan moved back to sit next to a hyperventilating Carlos.

Kendall and James helped Carlos turn over slightly, to give Logan access to the second wound. Blood seeped steadily from the hole, saturating Carlos' jeans and the ground where he was sitting.

"Yeah, this one has to be done too. Ready, guys? Same thing, on three. Carlos, bite down on the stick. One…two…three…"

Carlos tensed when Logan said three, screaming once more when the blazing stick singed his skin, blackening the edges around the bullet hole. He bucked against the hands restraining him, closing his eyes against the pain as tears flowed freely down his cheeks. After what seemed like an eternity, Logan pulled the stick away and Carlos sank to the ground, all fight and resistance leaving him in a rush. His eyes blacked over as he gazed up at Logan's concerned face.

"You okay?" Logan asked through the buzzing in Carlos' ears.

Carlos managed a nod seconds before he allowed the blackness to overtake him.

Logan sighed with relief when Carlos finally passed out. He knew his friend was in a lot of pain and it killed him to be the one to cause it.

"Holy shit." James said quietly, falling heavily back to lie on the cool ground.

"That was horrible." Kendall agreed, taking off his sweatshirt and covering Carlos with it.

Logan leaned forward, checking each wound, satisfied that the blood had finally stopped flowing. The procedure had worked. Now he had to watch for signs of infection, but at least Carlos wouldn't bleed to death.

"Did it work?" James asked, watching Logan carefully.

Logan nodded. "I think he's safe for now. He still needs medical attention as soon as possible. Those burns are going to hurt like a bitch when he wakes up."

"At least he's not in pain right now." Kendall sighed.

"Speaking of pain, let me check your ankle." Logan said, moving to sit next to the blond boy.

Kendall shrugged. "It's fine. Doesn't even hurt anymore." He lied.

Logan scoffed. "Yeah, sure. I can tell by the look on your face that it doesn't hurt anymore."

"Dude, sarcastic much?" Kendall said, wincing when Logan's fingers gently pressed against his ankle. "Ow! Cut it out!"

Logan rolled his eyes. "It's not broken, so that's good. But you definitely sprained it good. It's already swelling up big time and if we don't wrap it, you're going to have a hard time walking on it tomorrow."

"Wrap it?" Kendall asked. "With what?"

"Uh…" Logan looked around. "James, rip off one of your sleeves."

"What? This is one of my favorite shirts!" James protested, looking appalled. "It's designer!"

"It's a long sleeved t-shirt and Nike is not designer." Logan argued, giving him a look.

"It's still one of my favorite shirts." James grumbled, reluctantly ripping the right sleeve of the shirt. "Goodbye shirt."

"James, quit being a girl." Kendall teased, wincing again when Logan took the sleeve and began wrapping it tightly around the injured ankle.

Logan finished wrapping the ankle, tucking in the end, and surveyed his work. For improvising, it wasn't half bad and he was pretty confident that it would keep some of the swelling down. He grabbed a large stump and dragged it over to where Kendall sat, using it to prop up his foot. Finally satisfied that all his friends were taken care of, he sat heavily on the ground and closed his eyes.

"You okay, Loges." Kendall asked, watching his friend.

"Yeah." Logan answered, not bothering to open his eyes. "I'm fine. Just freakin out."

"We're going to get out of this." James said, moving closer to the fire. "Tomorrow, we'll find a way out of this. For now, we should get some rest."

"Did you manage to find a McDonalds when you were looking for rocks?" Kendall joked, earning a groan from his friends.

"Don't even mention food!" Logan pleaded, trying to ignore the resulting growl from his stomach. "I'm starving."

"In boy scouts, we learned how to make snares." James said thoughtfully. "I could snare us a rabbit or something and we could cook that."

Logan made a face. "I think I'd rather starve."

Kendall nodded. "I don't think I could eat a rabbit." He said. "I'd feel horrible about it."

"Yeah, well, that's probably good because I totally sucked at making snares." James laughed. "First thing tomorrow, we find some food."

"And some help." Logan added.

"And get the fuck out of this hellhole." Kendall said.

"And get the fuck away from those perverted rednecks." Logan muttered.

His friends looked at him. "Got something you want to tell us, Logan?" James asked, eyeing him thoughtfully.

"No." Logan said quickly, shifting his gaze to the fire.

"Logan?"

"I said no!" Logan yelled, lowering his voice quickly when Carlos stirred.

Kendall shared a look with James before turning his attention back to Logan. "Look, we know some stuff went down in that jail cell. You can talk to us if you need to."

"Let us help you." James added.

Logan sighed. "The search in the cell wasn't that bad. Bunch of guys saw my junk and made some comments."

"Yeah, we heard." James told him. "Assholes."

Logan shuddered. "But those guys were talking above me when I was hiding under that porch and it's got me freakin out. Big time."

James frowned. "Talking? About what?"

"Never mind." Logan sighed.

"No, tell us."

"You guys should get some sleep." Logan said, trying to change the topic. "I'll take first watch. Who wants to take the second watch?"

"Logan!" James said forcefully, his protective mode going into overdrive. "Tell us what those ass wipes were talking about!"

"They said…" Logan paused, sighing again. "That the deputy offered a huge reward for me and that he promised they could take turns when he was done with me. There! You happy now?"

James paled. "They said what?"

"I'm not repeating it again."

"Holy motherfucking shit! I'll kill those guys!" James growled.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Conan. Calm down, it's not like they got to follow through with it."

"But what if they'd found you first." Kendall reminded him. "Those assholes can't get away with this."

"Last I checked, we were all promised to some dude named Bubba, so don't act like it's only my ass in jeopardy." Logan said sullenly.

James shuddered. "I forgot about Bubba."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Bubba hasn't forgotten about us."

"This place is fucked up."

"Speaking of fucked up," Logan smiled, hoping to lighten the mood, "I bet that Melissa chick isn't looking half bad after what we've seen in this freaky town!"

"Oh yeah!" Kendall laughed, turning to James. "Dude, she's way better than Bubba, for sure!"

James grimaced. "I don't know about that. I think I'd almost choose to become butt buddies with Bubba than get married to that fruit loop."

"She's probably found someone else to marry by now." Logan laughed, punching James playfully on the shoulder. "You snooze, you lose. Especially in Vegas."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure you could go back and let that old lady feel you up again. She really seemed to like your ass."

"Must be something about my ass that gets people all excited." Logan guessed. "You guys can see it better than I can…is it really that amazing? I mean, for an ass and all."

Kendall shrugged. "Soooo not looking at your ass, Loges."

"This conversation got weird." James said, smiling.

"Got weird?" Logan asked. "I think it started out weird. Hey, give me your other sleeve. I should wrap it around Carlos' leg before he wakes up, to keep the dirt out."

"My other sleeve?" James sighed. "Sure. Why not. Shirt is already ruined, thanks to Kendall and his klutzy walking."

"It was dark and there was a hole." Kendall objected. "And I was leading."

"Yeah, leading yourself into a hole." James muttered, reluctantly ripping off the other sleeve of his shirt. "Heyyyyy, now it's sleeveless. Shows off my guns."

"Yeah, all the female animals will flock to your hotness." Kendall grumbled.

"Female anything is better than male."

"Gross."

"You're gross!"

"Both of you are gross." Logan told them, taking the offered sleeve and moving to where Carlos was. He felt his forehead, thankful to find it cool to the touch. "No sign of fever. That's good. As long as we can keep the wound clean and get him medical treatment soon, he should be okay." He wrapped the sleeve around Carlos' leg and moved back to the fire.

"You did a good job, Logan." Kendall told him, lying down on the ground and resting his head on his arms. "You saved him. Be proud of yourself."

"Yeah, not many people could have done that, bro." James added, lying down next to Kendall to get some sleep. "Wake me up next, okay? I'll take the next watch."

"Okay." Logan said, moving to sit next to Carlos, to keep a better eye on him.

"Not one of our better camping trips." James joked, yawning loudly. "But it sure beats camping on a sound stage."

"Really? Weird night watch guards don't shoot at us." Kendall reminded him. "And we had pretty girls to look at."

"The scenery was better, I'll give you that."

"We can see the stars." Logan said, looking up at the clear night sky. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a rough day."

He leaned back against the tree, watching as Kendall and James yawned one more time, closed their eyes and within moments, fell fast asleep. It had been a day from hell, and it wasn't over yet. Logan had no doubt that horrible things awaited them the following day. Sheriff Cole would come after them, if he wasn't already searching for them. Every little creak and crack in the woods had Logan convinced that they were surrounded by search parties. He wasn't sure how they were going to get out of this.

They had no working phones.

They had no car.

They didn't know their way around these woods or where the next nearest town was.

Carlos and Kendall were injured, he'd been beaten up and it was fucking cold out. Logan shivered, wrapping his arms around himself to keep warm. Not to mention they had no food and seriously, there was no way they were going to snare and eat a cute little rabbit. No way.

He stared out into the woods, watching as shadows danced around their campsite, moving like live bodies, freaking him out. Logan wasn't sure what scared him more…wild animals, like the coyotes he was sure he'd just heard howl off in the distance…or the humans that could be stalking them at any moment.

An hour later, he was sure he had nothing to worry about with humans and animals…it was thoughts of witches and ghosts that had him staring wide eyed at the darkness surrounding them. Damn Blair Witch Project! He could totally get why that girl was snotting all over herself in her tent, freaking out.

"I hate the woods." Logan muttered, scooting closer to Carlos. Why was everything so freaking freaky in the woods? That sound stage was looking better and better with each passing second!

Hours later, unable to stay away any longer, he woke James up and took his spot next to Kendall. "Keep an eye on Carlos." He said sleepily before closing his eyes.

James yawned and took Logan's spot against the tree, looking down at Carlos. "I will. Get some sleep, bro. It's gonna be an early morning."

"G'Nite." Logan said sleepily, falling into a deep sleep only moments later. James watched him sleep, sighing to himself. They were in some deep shit, no doubt. He yawned again, resting his head against the tree.

"We'll get out of this." He said quietly, looking down at Carlos. "I promise."

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: I got a lot of requests for Kendall and Logan whump and that's coming, I promise. But I realized that I never ever whump Carlos, so he won this chapter. Can't leave out Carlos.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! Nothing is worse for a writer than posting something and getting no feedback. Trust me. Plus, it might push me to update this story again by the weekend? Fingers crossed!**

**Chapter 10: Chapter 10**

**A/N: Wow, this site is really acting up! For some reason, when I posted this update yesterday, the site wouldn't let people view it. Hopefully its fixed now? If you are reading this, then I guess it is :) Yay! Sorry for making you guys wait...but maybe this long chapter will make up for it? Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always, I don't own BTR.**

**CHAPTER TEN**

Kendall was awake to see the sun rise, silently watching as rays of light filtered through the trees, reflecting off the light sheen of dew that coated the leaves and flowers around him. He shivered, wrapping his arms around him to ward off the chill of the damp morning air and slowly rose to his feet, adding a log to the dwindling fire. His breath fogged the air in front of him and he hugged himself tighter, standing closer to the pathetic flames, trying to draw whatever warmth he could from them.

Below him, Carlos snorted and moved closer to Logan, snuggling up against him, trying to stay warm. Kendall smiled down at his friends, trying to forget for a second that they were in the worst situation of their entire lives. They looked so peaceful, sleeping on the ground. He almost hated to wake them up, but he knew he had to. Morning was here. And at any moment, the Sheriff and his hillbilly cronies could be on the hunt for them.

It was time to move.

Kendall sighed, putting his hands out over the flames, rubbing them together in the quiet morning air. He wanted to yell at the birds in the trees to shut the hell up…there was nothing to freakin sing about this morning. But they didn't know that and he couldn't blame them for their happiness. He bent down and put his hand on James' shoulder, gently shaking him awake. He felt bad for waking him…he'd only just gone back to sleep a few hours ago…but he had no choice. James rubbed his eyes tiredly and yawned, rolling over onto his back and groaning.

"My back is killing me." He complained, wincing as he moved to stand up. "I'm getting too old for this shit."

Kendall smiled sympathetically. "Next time we're illegally arrested and molested and almost murdered, we'll have to remember to bring sleeping bags."

"That is a big time affirmative, my friend." James laughed. "How's the ankle?"

Kendall shrugged, looking down at his wrapped foot. "It's not feeling too bad right now."

James frowned slightly. "You'll be able to walk on it, right?"

"Don't have much choice. The sun is up and we've got to get moving."

James sighed. "Man, this sucks." He leaned over and shook Logan, who immediately bolted upright, a look of panic on his face. His sudden movement startled Carlos awake and he immediately groaned, grabbing for his injured leg.

"What's going on?" Logan asked, looking around, as if searching for danger. His eyes fell on Carlos and his panic turned to concern. "You okay, Carlos?"

Carlos shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. Tears ran down his cheeks as his friends watched him, their worry growing.

"'Los?" Logan prompted, leaning over his friend. "I need to take a look at the wound. Okay?"

"No." Carlos moaned. "Don't touch it!"

"I have to." Logan insisted, reaching to remove Carlos's hands so that he could get a look.

"Ow! Damn Logan." Carlos whispered, his eyes still closed.

"Sorry." Logan muttered, ignoring his protests, suddenly in full doctor mode. He gently pushed back the frayed edges of fabric from around the wound and peered at it, looking thoughtful. "It's not bleeding, so that's good. Try not to move so much Carlos. Doesn't appear to be infected." He placed a hand on Carlos's forehead, checking for fever. "No fever. Thank goodness."

"How's he doing, Logan?" Kendall asked, unable to wait any longer for Logan to finish his examination.

"He's doing horrible!" Carlos answered instead, moaning a little to emphasize his point. "He burned me with a fire stick!"

"You're not doing horribly." Logan argued, gently prompting him to roll over so that he could check the exit wound. "You appear to be healing well, you don't have a fever and you're not bleeding to death anymore. If you ask me, I think you're doing pretty well. Do you think you can stand, with some help?"

"Sun's coming up, Carlos." James added. "We've got to get out of here before those rednecks come hunting us."

"Just leave me here." Carlos whined, pushing Logan away when he moved to help him up. "Cover me with branches or leaves or something and send help when you can. I'm not moving."

"You're not moving?" Kendall raised an eyebrow.

Carlos shook his head. "Nooooo."

Logan smiled. "What about food? You can't stay out here by yourself."

"I'll eat the leaves you pile on top of me."

"Gross." James shuddered. "But what about wild animals who want to eat you?"

"Animals are our friends. They would never eat me."

"A bear might." Logan told him. "Yup, I'm pretty sure a bear would eat you."

"Then let it eat me." Carlos moaned, still holding onto his leg.

"Carlos, come on. You're being ridiculous!" Logan said, reaching down again to help him stand. "Ow! Don't hit me!"

"Then don't try to move me!"

"You've got to get up and walk so we can get out of here!"

"I told you to leave me!"

"Carlos, you are being an ass right now!" Logan fumed. "Do you want to be some pervert's love slave? Is that what you want? Because that's what will happen. When they find you…and they will…they will either kill you or turn you over to some creep who apparently really has the hots for young guys. Either scenario is not good!"

"Or a bear will eat him." James added.

"Yeah! Or a bear will eat you!"

Kendall looked thoughtful. "I don't think I'd want a bear to eat me."

"Oh, but the other options sound appealing? And no one wants a bear to eat them!" Logan said, still looking down angrily at Carlos. "Now stop being difficult and let us help you up so that we can get out of here."

"Uh oh, Doctor Logan is getting angry." James leaned over and whispered to Kendall, who shuddered.

"Glad he's not paying attention to me." Kendall whispered back.

Logan quickly turned to look at him. "Don't think I'm not checking that ankle before we start walking." Logan told him. "It probably needs to be re-wrapped."

Kendall sighed. "But don't wrap it so tight this time, okay? It makes it hurt more when I walk."

"It hurts more because it's keeping the ankle more immobile." Logan told him.

James chuckled, glad that he didn't have any injuries for Logan to fuss over. He moved to the fire and grabbed some dirt, quickly smothering the flames so that they could leave. There would be evidence of their camp site, but he didn't have time to erase their presence. He was pretty sure those rednecks would know they were there anyway, even if he tried to cover it up.

"Time to go." He said, urging his friends to move. The more space they put between themselves and those tracking them, the better James would feel. Especially if two of his friends were already injured.

"Carlos?" Logan prompted, reaching down a hand to his friend. "We can't leave you here to get eaten by bears."

Carlos glared up at him. "Fine! Let the bears starve then! I hope you feel bad for them."

"I don't. And this conversation has gotten weird." Logan said, grabbing hold of Carlos's hand and gently helping him stand. James grabbed hold of Carlos's other hand and he pulled him to his feet, immediately throwing his friend's arm around his shoulders so that he could support his weight. Carlos leaned back against him, gingerly testing his weight on his injured leg.

"Well?" Logan asked.

Carlos smiled a little. "Hey, it's not too bad. It only hurts a tiny bit now."

"See!" Logan said. "Do you think you can walk on it?"

"I think so." Carlos said, taking a small step with the help of James. "Yeah, I think I can. It's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"We'll take it slow for you, buddy." James told him, still holding onto him. "And I'll help you if you need it."

"Hopefully we'll find help soon and we won't have to go too far." Kendall said, wincing as Logan leaned down to check his ankle. He let Logan re-wrap it without complaint, only flinching a few times during the procedure. And despite his request, Logan wrapped it tightly, making it difficult to walk.

"I can't bend it." Kendall whined, awkwardly testing his foot.

"That's the point." Logan told him. "Come on. I'm getting creeped out, just sitting here waiting for them to find us."

"Which way do we go?" Kendall asked, eyeing their surroundings uncertainly.

"We can't go back to town." Carlos said. "Even though I really want to. That diner is calling my name."

"Don't even mention food." Logan groaned. "The medical supplies at the pharmacy would be nice too."

"Yeah, and so would a million dollars, but we can't have that either." James reminded them. "We can't go back to town. So which way do we go?"

"Let's continue to head towards the main road." Logan said. "I think that's our best shot."

"Logan's right. Main roads have cars. Maybe we can flag someone down and get help." Kendall agreed.

"How far do you think the main road is?" Carlos asked, trying hard now to sigh.

Logan shrugged. "I honestly have no idea, 'Los. Probably further than any of us wants to walk."

"That's be about 20 feet for me." Kendall smirked. "Not feeling the whole 'walking' thing this morning."

"Not feeling the whole 'morning' thing, myself." Logan muttered. "Have I ever told you guys that I hate mornings?"

James laughed. "No need to tell us that. We already know you're not a morning person, Loges."

"Yeah, remember that time we had practice for hockey before school and Logan smarted off to Coach because he was so grouchy?" Carlos added.

"Didn't Coach make you skate fifty laps for smarting off?" Kendall asked, looking over at his scowling friend.

"It was a hundred laps." Logan rolled his eyes.

"Oooohhh, and there was that time Logan smarted off to Gustavo during early morning rehearsal because he told him his back flip looked amateurish and Logan told Gustavo to do one and then he could criticize his!" Carlos said. "Remember that? I thought Gustavo was going to eat you, he was soooo mad!"

"Eat me? Really Carlos?"

"Haha, oh yeah! I forgot about that!" Kendall laughed, wincing as he walked. He tried to ignore the ache in his foot as he followed his friends.

Logan scowled at his friends grumpily. "Okay, so we've established that I'm not a morning person."

"How much longer until we reach the road?" Carlos asked, leaning on James.

"Carlos, we just started walking." Logan reminded him, sighing.

"I know, but how much further?" Carlos continued, smirking. He loved pushing Logan's buttons, especially in the morning when his friend was so grumpy. And it helped him forget about the horrendous pain in his thigh, so that was even better.

"Carlos!" Logan growled, taking the bait. "We just started, we are nowhere near the road and we won't be there any time soon!" He frowned when he saw the amused looks on his friends' faces. "What?"

"He so got you, dude." James laughed.

Logan sighed. "I need new friends."

The sun rose over the small town of Gainesville as the sleepy town slowly came to life, its occupants unaware of the excitement that had taken place the night before. The locals were aware of how corrupt their sheriff and his deputy were. It was common knowledge that the pair were up to no good. The rumor was that they were in to drugs. Growing them. Manufacturing them. Selling them.

With the help of a loner named Bubba, it was said that Sheriff Cole and Deputy Smith had fields of marijuana growing deep in the mountains. And more recently it was rumored that they had ventured into the world of meth, manufacturing it at an undisclosed location also in the woods surrounding the town. Local kids were already sampling the product, much to the unhappiness of their parents.

And then there was the issue of Sheriff Cole's cronies. A bunch of large, mentally inadequate farm boys who followed him around like puppies, following his every order, no matter how illegal. They were his army. They were his muscle. And they had the towns people scared out of their minds.

But the worse rumor yet, so horrible that most didn't even discuss it, was that Sheriff Cole paid Bubba for his services with young boys. Teenagers. What Bubba did with the boys, the towns people shuddered to think about, but the fact was that pleasant looking boys from the surrounding areas…and those passing through town…tended to disappear or meet with an untimely and questionable end.

As far as the locals were concerned, it was better to stay away from Sheriff Cole and his army. Whatever he was involved in, it didn't concern them. And the less they knew, the safer their families would be. So when early risers, heading out for work or school, noticed the large gathering of pickup trucks and camaflaged men in the field at the end of town, they turned their heads away and hurried on their ways. No one talked about it. No one even acknowledged it. They just hoped that whoever the Sheriff was after had the brains to remain hidden in the woods.

Sheriff Cole looked down at the large group assembled in the field and smirked. Smith had managed to gather some of the brightest and most skilled hunters in the area. Not that that was saying much. He scowled as the man nearest him, Henry, stuck his finger up his nose, working hard to dig something out. He looked away when the man found what he was after…he'd seen this enough to know what he'd do with the stuff he found in his nose.

Unclean, unkempt men looked up at him, each of them dumber than his dog. But they were still the brightest this area had to offer. There were times when Sheriff Cole wished he were surrounded by better people…but then he'd never be able to control them like he could now.

And he liked power. He craved it. He enjoyed ruling over his little part of the world. He ate for free. People did whatever he told them to. These idiots acted as his muscle. And he would do anything to protect what he had. Including hunting down and killing those four idiot boys currently hiding in the woods.

Damned stupid city boys! Of all the fucked up luck, they just had to see Smith shooting that asshole Fed. Now he had to kill them, instead of giving them to Bubba as payment for another month of his services. The fat pervert mountain man was refusing to work until Cole got him some more 'company' to fill his lonely nights. Cole shuddered, thinking about the last boy he'd given to the man. He'd been a runaway, from a neighboring county. Cole had nabbed him along the highway and taken him directly to Bubba, as payment. Whatever Bubba had done, the boy didn't last long.

Two weeks.

Bubba had called him two weeks later, demanding more company. Sturdier boys, he insisted. And prettier. Bubba was particular about what he liked. So when those four boys had wandered into town, spouting off that no one knew where they were, Cole had seen a perfect opportunity to pay Bubba and get him back to working.

He briefly wondered if he could still give them to Bubba, when he found them, but he quickly dismissed the idea. If one of them were to somehow get free of the idiot hermit, they'd rat him out to the Feds and he'd be in prison for the rest of his life.

No way was he going to prison. No. He'd kill those boys, silence them once and for all, and worry about Bubba's payment later. If all else failed, he'd just abduct a local boy. Bubba would have to make do.

"You all know what to do." Cole shouted down at the assembled group. "The criminals entered the woods before midnight last night and have not been seen since. They are to be considered dangerous. Split up. I want them found! When you find them, I expect you to use deadly force. I want their bodies brought back to me for verification."

He paused, waiting for the morons to process what he'd said.

"When you have taken care of all four boys, you will receive a substantial cash reward. Have I made myself clear?"

Heads nodded, eyes gleaming with the hopes of earning more money than they typically saw in a year.

"I need all four of those boys disposed of." Cole said sternly.

Heads nodded again.

"Okay, boys. You have your orders! Move out!"

The group split off, breaking into smaller groups as they ran off into the woods. Cole looked down at his deputy and the handpicked group of four men that remained behind.

"You boys know what to do?" He asked quietly.

Smith nodded. "Yup, sure do, boss. We'll find those boys and we'll make sure they can't tell nobody about what they saw."

"See that you do. Keep me posted on the radio."

Smith nodded again. "Come on boys. Let's go do some hunting."

"I'm bored." Carlos muttered tiredly, leaning more and more against James as they walked. "And tired. And hungry."

"We've been walking for hours." Kendall groaned, limping more and more with each step. "My ankle is killing me."

"Are we even going in the right direction?" Logan asked, peering up at the sky. "I would have thought we'd find the road by now."

James wiped sweat out of his eyes. "I'm pretty sure we're still heading towards where the road should be. I just don't know how far away it actually is. Chances are we'll be spending another night in the woods."

"Shit." Kendall cursed. "I'm sick of the fucking woods."

"We're all sick of the woods." Logan agreed. "Remember that nice hotel we stayed at in Vegas? With beds and buffets and beds."

"And crazy chicks trying to wed me." James added. "Didn't like that part much."

"And crazy brothers who punch me in the face." Logan remembered. "Yeah, that wasn't so great. Why am I always getting punched?"

"You just bring out the best in people, Loges." James laughed. "And you need to learn to duck."

"Let's play a game." Carlos suggested suddenly, making the others groan.

"Carlos, I am not playing I Spy again!" Kendall told him firmly.

"Me neither!" Logan added quickly.

"Fine." Carlos conceded. "No I Spy. How about Twenty Questions? Come on guys, it will help me forget about my leg."

Logan rolled his eyes. Leave it to Carlos to guilt them into a game. "Fine, we can play Twenty Questions."

Carlos smiled widely. "Great! Logan, we'll ask you twenty questions and you have to answer them all truthfully!"

Logan gaped at him. 'That's not how you play Twenty Questions!"

"It is when I play." Carlos smirked. "Question One…have you and Camille ever…you know…done it?"

"WHAT?"

Kendall and James turned to look at Logan. "Ohh, good question!" James said. "We've always wondered about that."

"You wondered about whether or not Camille and I have…done…it?" Logan asked.

"Totally." James told him. "I personally think you have. Kendall doubts you and says no. Carlos is on the fence."

"You are always making out." Carlos added, wincing as he hobbled over a fallen log.

Logan felt his face turn red. "That's a really personal question, guys."

"You have to answer it!"

"Pass."

"You can't pass!" Carlos argued. "Come on! We want to know!"

"You can want all you want, but I'm not going to tell you!"

James smiled. "That means they've done it. Look how defensive he's getting."

"I am not getting defensive. I just feel that relationships should be kept private."

"You didn't feel that way when we were hearing Kendall's stories about him and Jo." Carlos pointed out.

"Yeah." James agreed. "You were all ears then!"

Kendall laughed. "I hope you used a condom, Logie. Your mom will kill you if you get Camille pregnant."

"What the hell!" Logan said. "I haven't even admitted to sleeping with her and you're already harping on me about condoms!"

"Do you use ribbed condoms?" James laughed. "For her pleasure, you know."

Logan groaned. "I have so got to find new friends. You guys are ridiculous!"

"You know you love us." Carlos smiled. "But seriously, we're only on question one. Answer up."

Logan sighed, looking up at the sky. "Fine. You want to know so badly? Yes. Camille and I have had sex. There! Happy now?"

Three faces turned to stare at him.

"You have?" Carlos gasped. "Holy shit, I was just kidding!"

"Ha!" Kendall said. "I knew we could get him to tell us!"

"Give us the deets." James ordered. "How often..where…all that stuff."

Logan shook his head. "I will not give you the deets. It happens. Enough said."

"You don't' do it in our room, do you?" Kendall grimaced. "Seriously, I sleep in there."

"Supply closet, right?" Carlos guessed. "I've always wanted to try that."

"You'd have to get a girlfriend first, Carlos." Logan pointed out.

"Very funny." Carlos said. "Question two. Where was the last place you and Camille did it?"

"That's it! Game over!" Logan told him. "No more questions. Why don't you ask James about all the girls he sleeps with?"

James scoffed. "Please. I'm saving myself for Miss Right."

"More like Miss Right now." Carlos taunted.

"Don't hate the player, bro. Hate the game. And don't make fun of the person who is currently dragging your heavy ass through these freaking woods."

Carlos looked at him. "So, Logan. Back to you."

"We are not back to me."

"Yes, we are. James won't help me anymore if I ask him any questions."

"I'll help you. Just focus on James."

Carlos shook his head. "No, we'll go back to you. Question three...who is more dominant in bed...You or Camille?"

"My money is on Camille." Kendall said.

"Totally." James agreed.

"I'm not answering that." Logan said. "And just why do you all think Camille would be the dominant one? Ask me my favorite color or something. I'll answer that."

"Its blue and you're no fun." Carlos said. "Ow, fuck! Stupid leg."

Logan looked at him closely. "You doing okay? We can take a break if you need to."

Carlos shook his head. "No, I'm fine. We need to keep going."

Logan turned to Kendall. "How about you? How's that ankle?"

Kendall winced slightly. "It's been better, but Carlos is right. We need to keep moving."

"I'd feel better if you told me about you and Camille." Carlos tried again, smiling at his friend.

Logan shook his head. "Nice try. She'll be pissed at me if she ever finds out I told you. Trust me, she is not someone you want to piss off."

"Dominant one." Kendall smirked. "Told ya."

"Did you hear that?" James stopped suddenly, his head cocking to the side as he listened intently. Logan turned his head, looking behind them as he watched James.

"Hear what?"

James frowned. "I don't know…murmuring or something?"

Carlos looked nervous, leaning on James for support. "Do you think they found us?"

Kendall leaned against a nearby tree, taking weight off his throbbing ankle. "I don't see anyone."

"Just because we don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there." James said quietly. "Everyone stop talking. We need to hear which direction the noise is coming from."

Logan cocked his head to the side, trying to hear the noises James was talking about. It was so quiet in the forest, he could hear birds chirping and the rustling of leaves as small animals scurried around. He was about tell James that he heard nothing when a sudden sharp laugh reached his ears. All four boys dropped to the ground, shocked at just how close the laugh had sounded.

"Holy shit!" Logan mouthed quietly, staring at James. This was bad. They were too close. They quickly scrambled into the nearby brush, knowing as they did that the leaves were not enough to camouflage them if their pursuers got too close.

Voices carried on the wind, sounding pissed off. "I know they came this way!"

"I'm tracking them! Just shut the fuck up, Clem!"

"I need that money, Sam. I got bills!"

"We all got bills, Clem. I got tracks right here. They can't be far."

"What do we do?" Carlos whispered, sinking lower to the ground. He knew they wouldn't be able to outrun these guys…not with his injured leg and Kendall's injured ankle.

"Shhh!" James cautioned, poking his head up to check on the men. There were three of them, about 500 feet away, each carrying a rifle. He recognized them from the day before, in the jail. They were part of the group that had been in Logan's cell. He looked over at his friend, knowing by the look on his face that he recognized them too. Logan visibly paled, staring at the men. Anger coursed through James again at the thought of the abuse Logan had endured at the hands of those assholes. He wasn't about to let that happen again.

"They're getting closer." Kendall whispered to James. "We have to move."

James shook his head. "You and Carlos won't be able to outrun them."

Kendall nodded, knowing it was true. His ankle hurt more and more with each step. He'd never be able to run.

"I'll lead them away." Logan said. "I'll get them to follow me and you guys make a run for it."

James quickly shook his head. "No, I'll go. You need to stay with Kendall and Carlos."

"It was my idea." Logan argued. "I'll go. I'm faster than you anyway."

James smirked. "Says who?"

"No one lead them away." Kendall hissed. "We have to stay together."

They all froze quickly when the three men stopped and looked around. "Did you all hear that?" One of the men asked.

Rifles came up as they scanned the trees. "I think we got em boys."

"Stay here." James mouthed quietly. He shrugged off Logan's hand and silently crawled away from their hiding spot, putting as much distance between himself and his friends as possible. When he thought he was far enough away, he jumped to his feet and faced the three men tracking them.

"Hey assholes!" He yelled loudly, grinning stupidly when three heads whipped in his direction. "Screwed any barn yard animals lately?"

"There's one!"

"Get him!"

James wasted no time, turning quickly and bolting away, intent on leading the three men away from his friends. He could hear them take off after him and he prayed that they'd be content with just chasing him and not shooting at him.

Logan cursed quietly as he watched his friend dart away, chased by the three men. "Dammit James!"

Kendall looked at him. "You were going to do the same thing."

"It was a stupid plan." Logan argued.

"Yeah, it was." Kendall agreed.

"I can't just leave him alone with those guys." Logan continued, staring off after their friend.

Carlos nodded. "He might need help if they catch him."

Kendall looked around, his gaze settling on a large branch on the ground. "Take that stick." He said to Logan, grabbing it for him.

Logan smirked. "Great. A tree branch. Against three guns. You guys sit tight. I'll be right back. I hope James knows what he's doing."

James was running hard, trying to draw the three men away from where his friends were hiding. He ran loudly, hoping to keep them interested in him. Branches cut his arms as he ran, hitting him sharply in the face, making him curse, but still he ran. He could hear the men running behind him, whooping and hollering for him to stop.

He ran straight, not bothering to hide where he was going. If he was lucky, they'd give up and move on and he'd still be able to find his way back to his friends. He shuddered to think what he'd do if he got lost in these woods, alone, away from his friends.

"We gonna get you, boy!" A taunting voice called behind him, making him cringe as he ran. Yeah, they probably were. He wasn't trying to hide. He didn't want them to turn around and look for the others. No doubt, they were gonna get him.

"Stop running and we'll go easy on you!" Another voice called.

James rolled his eyes and picked up the pace. Fat chance he was going to quit running. So not going to happen. And when they did catch him, he'd fight like hell.

He looked behind him, checking on the progress of his pursuers. They were getting close. He had to decide now…he could either continue on in a straight line and let them catch him, or he could attempt to lose them, but risk having them go back after his friends.

In the end, nature made his decision for him when he tripped over an unseen tree root and went sprawling awkwardly to the ground. He landed hard, momentarily knocking the breath out of him and jarring his head painfully. James groaned, rolling quickly over onto his back, shaking his head to make the stars go away.

More whoops and cheers from his hunters told him they were close…too close…and he had to chance of getting away.

"Fuck that." James muttered, struggling to get to his feet. He wasn't going to lie down and wait for them to get him. Make it or not, he was at least going to try to get away from them. Pain shot through his leg and he turned to run, knowing the attempt was futile.

"Goin somewhere, boy?" One of the men said, appearing suddenly in front of him, startling him. He jerked away from the man's reach, turning around sharply to try another way, only to find that way blocked by another large, grinning man.

"Can't go this way." The man smirked as James turned yet again, suddenly desperate for a way out. The third man blocked his last path to freedom, looking at him with a triumphant look while he cradled his shotgun lazily in his arms.

"Looks like we done caught ourselves a pretty bambi." The man to James' left said, making the other two laugh.

Bambi?

"A little wide eyed doe, looking to get away." Another man laughed, and James saw red, quickly infuriated by their comments.

"I'm not a wide eyed doe." He growled, standing up tall to face the men. "Why don't you put the guns away and we'll see who's a bambi."

"Boy's got some arms on him." The man facing James said, frowning. "What out for him."

"He sure is pretty though."

James turned to face the last speaker, cringing even as he stared the man down. The look of lust on the unwashed face made him want to turn and run as far away as he possibly could. He backed away involuntarily, intent on putting distance between himself and the man, only to end up getting too close to the large man behind him.

Rough hands grabbed him, pinning his arms to his side as he kicked and struggled, panic threatening to overwhelm him as the three men closed in.

"Let me go!" James shouted, kicking at the advancing men, who laughed as they dodged his feet. "Stay away from me!"

"We got us a fighter!" The man holding him laughed, tightening his grip on James' arms. "Help me get him up against this tree!"

"No!" James yelled again, trying to get loose. He threw his head back, connecting solidly with his captor's head, smiling when he heard bones break. The man howled and let go, propelling James forward as he lost the grip holding him still. James fell in a heap to the ground as the man behind him wailed and cursed, holding his bleeding nose.

"That son of a bitch done broke my nose!" The man yelled as blood ran down his face, through his fingers. "Ima gonna kill that asshole!"

James jumped to his feet to run, only to be stopped by two sets of hands grabbing hold of his arms and throwing him roughly up against a small tree. Sharp bark cut into his back as they held him in place, wrapping a belt around his neck and strapping it, effectively securing him to the tree even as it cut into his neck, partially blocking his airway.

He stopped struggling, trying to draw in deep breaths of air as he watched the men warily, waiting to see what they would do. This was bad. They were going to kill him. He could see that much in their eyes. It was the other thing he saw in their eyes that worried him even more.

One of the men, the one he'd head butted and given a broken nose, stood in front of him, eyeing him up and down, making his skin crawl.

"What we gonna do with you, boy?" He asked, ignoring the blood now as it ran down his chin.

"How about you let me go?" James muttered, diverting his eyes from the bloody man in front of him, feeling his face go red when they laughed.

"Thing is, boy, Sheriff wants you and your little buddies dead." The man on his left said, his blond hair dirty and stringy, falling unkempt around his face. He was shorter than James by a good five inches, and wider in the gut. The overalls he wore had obviously seen better days and had just as obviously not been washed in a very long time. James struggled to breathe out of his mouth to avoid the stench rolling off the men surrounding him.

"Where are those other boys?" The bloody one asked, looking around the woods. "They hidin somewhere nearby?"

James tried to shake his head, only to have the belt cut even deeper into his neck. He gagged, momentarily panicking when he couldn't breathe. He tried to calm down, taking shallow breaths as dark shadows threatened at the corners of his eyes.

"They ditched me." He struggled to say, knowing the men wouldn't believe him.

"Yeah right." The bloody guy said, moving closer to James. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, boy. We need all four of you to get our reward from the Sheriff. You can tell us where your buddies are, or we'll get it out of you by force."

James closed his eyes, feeling himself go lightheaded as oxygen eluded him. "They….left." He said.

The third guy, who had remained silent, stormed up to him and punched him solidly in the stomach, making any air James had succeeded in getting rush out of him in a gasp. He sagged down, throwing his hands up to the belt to keep it from cutting off his air any more.

"They left? You think we're stupid, boy? Tell us where they are!" He screamed at James, spittle flying from his mouth as he eyed the teenager angrily. "I need that money, boy!"

"I…don't," James struggled to breathe, "know."

He watched the third guy warily, seeing the anger simmering in the man. Dirty, like the other two, but slightly better dressed, this dark haired guy seemed more like a leader than the other guys. His eyes seemed colder…more calculating…and very pissed off. James could see him considering his options while he fiddled with the trigger on his hunting rifle. Of the three, James could tell he was the most dangerous.

"I think we should just kill him and find those other boys ourselves." The dark haired man said, making James' eyes go wide with fear. "Sheriff wants him dead."

The guy with the broken nose was slowly nodding his head while the blond in the overalls licked his lips greedily.

"Can I play with him first?" Overalls asked, making James panic even more. What the hell did that even mean?

"Play with him? Dammit Clem, the Sheriff wants him and those other fools dead! You heard him!"

"We want that money, Clem!"

Clem kept his eyes on James. "But he's so purdy and its awful lonely now that Betty's gone. I ain't had any lovin since she left me!"

"Just kill me." James said, pulling at the belt around his neck, feeling it loosen just a bit. He sucked in a greedy gulp of air and glowered at the men surrounding him. "That fat fuck isn't coming anywhere near me."

"Who you calling fat?" Clem growled while the other two men laughed.

Now that he could breathe more easily, James found his anger quickly returning. "Look in a mirror, buddy."

"Careful, boy." The dark haired man said quietly. "You're prettier than any of Clem's girlfriends."

"You actually call pigs girlfriends up here?" James sneered, glaring at the man.

"I'll make you squeal like a pig!" Clem screamed, ramming the butt of his rifle into James' stomach. James groaned softly, his legs buckling again from the blow. The belt cut painfully into his neck as he struggled to regain his footing.

"You hit like a bitch." James taunted, standing tall to let more air pass by the belt.

"Come on, Sam. Just let me have him. I'll kill him when I'm done!" Clem begged, already fumbling with the straps of his dirty overalls. "I want to make pretty boy scream. Won't take me long."

"Said every pig you ever fucked." James muttered, desperately trying to ignore the panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. Things were getting bad, fast.

The dark haired leader, Sam, smirked up at James. "Have at him, Clem. Hell, maybe I'll have a go at him when you're done. Ain't had a piece of ass like that in a long time. Help me get him down, Jessie."

Jessie wiped at his bloodied nose and nodded, holding his rifle level at James' head. "Easy now, boy." Jessie said. "You make one move and I'll blow your purdy head off."

Clem had already disappeared greedily behind James, undoing the belt that held the boy in place. As soon as James felt the belt loosen, he fought, kneeing Sam in the groin when he got too close. Jessie swung out with his rifle, connecting solidly with James' head, knocking him to the ground while Sam groaned and cursed, cupping his injured anatomy.

"Son of a bitch!" Sam groaned. "I will kill that boy!"

Clem grabbed hold of James' hair and pulled him off the ground, to a kneeling position. "Not until I had my fun. Hold him for me, Jessie."

Sam hobbled over and grabbed hold of an arm while Jessie grabbed hold of the other. James struggled against the iron grip, trying to get free. This wasn't happening. He wasn't trapped in some backwards woods with horny hillbillies who were going to kill him.

It was a nightmare. Wake up wake up wake up.

"Get his pants off." Clem said somewhere behind James, making him cringe. Hands pulled at his belt, getting it off quickly while James continued to struggle.

"Get away from me!" James yelled, hating how pathetic and small the demand sounded while hands tightened around his biceps to hold him still. Behind him, he could hear the overalls fall to the ground. He struggled to keep his gaze forward, not daring to look behind him at Clem, afraid of what he would see.

"You aint even hard yet, Clem." Jessie taunted.

Clem grunted, palming himself roughly. "Get that ass bare and I will be." He groaned, his eyes half closed.

Hearing those words made James struggle even more while hands pulled at the waistband of his jeans. He got an arm free and swung up at Jessie, hitting him in the nose again, making him howl and fall to the ground. Sam was on him in an instant, knocking him bodily to the ground and holding him in place. James tried to turn his face away from the dirt, only to have Sam push it back down into the ground. He couldn't breathe. He felt more hands fumble with his pants and Clem was suddenly on top of him, breathing hotly in his ear.

"Make it good and I might not kill ya." He groaned, making James cringe.

"No!" James yelled into the dirt, feeling despair and frustration wash over him.

"Hurry, Clem. All his struggling is making me want him too." Sam said, holding him tightly.

"I get him too." Jessie growled, reclaiming his hold on James' free arm. "And I'm gonna be rough, boy. I'm gonna tear you up."

James squeezed his eyes close as he felt his pants being tugged lower, exposing him to the world and three horny idiots. Dirt choked him, getting into his mouth as he cursed the men, making them laugh.

"Ready, boy?" Clem asked, still fumbling with himself.

James waited for the pain, knowing it would be bad. He heard laughter and it pissed him off, knowing they were laughing at him. A sudden grunt and a scream of pain surprised him and then the hands holding him down disappeared and he was free. He rolled over, confused, as the three men around him fell to the ground howling and screaming. Their faces were covered in blood and James scrambled back away from them, pulling his pants back up quickly.

What the hell?

A fourth man was jumping crazily around the group, holding a large baseball bat out in front of him, taunting the downed men. James watched him, wide eyed and shocked at the sight before him. The newcomer was an old man, white haired and bearded, grizzly and dirty. Dressed in ripped denim and a red flannel, he looked like a hermit. A crazy, bat wielding hermit.

Who had just saved him and taken out three larger, younger men.

"Get up, boy! They won't be down for long!" The old man yelled, displaying a mouth full of broken and blackened teeth.

James scrambled to his feet, quickly refastening his belt while the men writhed in pain below him. Clem's pants were down around his ankles, his equipment flaccid once again. He pawed at his head, groaning with clenched eyes as blood poured between his fingers.

"Got that fat one good, I sure did!" The old man laughed crazily, holding the bat up above his head in triumph. "He was gonna stick it to ya, boy! But I got him!"

James couldn't help himself. He kicked out, hitting Clem in the stomach as hard as he could, making the fat man squeal out in pain.

"Who's squealing now!" He yelled down at the man, anger seething inside him. He bent down to retrieve the fallen guns and looked at the old man. "Who are you?"

"Name's Jeb." The old man said, looking around. "And we gotta get out of here. Come with me, boy. I know a place to hide."

"JAMES!" The sudden call had James whirling around, relieved when Logan came running up. Logan took in the scene before him, giving James a confused look.

"What the hell happened here? Who is this guy?" He asked, turning his attention to Jeb.

"This," James said, indicating the scene before him, "was a scene straight out of Deliverance."

Logan's eyes widened in horror. "Holy shit!"

"Exactly." James shuddered. "But Jeb saved me."

Logan looked doubtfully at the old man. "Really?"

The old man scowled at him. "I once killed a mountain lion with my bare hands, boy."

Logan frowned. "Sure pops." He said. "A mountain lion. Got it."

"Let's just get the hell out of here." James shuddered, grabbing Logan's arm. "Thanks for the help, Jeb, but we've gotta go get our friends."

"You boys running from the law?" Jeb asked them. "I know a place you can hide."

"No thanks." Logan said quickly. "We'll be fine."

"Really?" Jeb asked. "You know your way around these woods?"

"No." James admitted. "We don't. But we'll be fine. Come on Logan." He turned, heading back to where Kendall and Carlos were.

Jeb followed after them. "I can help you boys."

"We'll be fine." Logan repeated.

"Them guys are gonna be up again real soon. I got a place hidden real good. They won't find ya." Jeb continued.

James looked at Logan. "Kendall and Carlos could use a place to rest. And we can't outrun those guys back there. Our best bet might be to lay low for a while, until they move on."

Logan shook his head. "We don't even know this guy!"

"He saved my life." James argued. "He can't be all bad. Trust me, those other guys are way worse." He shuddered visibly. "And they'll be pissed if they catch us. We'll be lucky if they kill us right away."

Logan looked at him. "Maybe hiding is a good idea." He looked at the old man. "Your place is well hidden?"

"No one'll find ya."

Logan shrugged, conceding. "Fine. We'll follow you. "

Jeb smiled, showing a mouthful of broken, blackened teeth. "I gots food too, if ya want."

Logan felt his stomach growl at the mention of food. "That might be okay. Come on, Kendall and Carlos are over here."

"Logan!" Kendall hissed, waving him over. "What took you guys so long? We were getting worried! Who's that guy? Why do you have guns?"

James frowned the rifles in his hand and tossed them into the brush before bending down to help Carlos stand.

"His name is Jeb." Logan told Kendall, helping him to his feet. "He saved James from those three clowns and he says he can hide us for a while."

"And he has food." James added, wrapping an arm around Carlos.

"Food! Thank god!" Carlos exclaimed happily.

"You boys follow me. Hurry now." Jeb said, leading them further into the woods. He took them off the path, deep into the woods. Kendall and Carlos struggled with the uneven terrain, leaning more and more on James and Logan as they continued to trek through the woods. Thirty minutes later, they were panting heavily, wincing with each step. Kendall didn't think his ankle could possibly throb any more than it already was and he was just about to call it quits.

"How much further?" He asked, unable to keep the pain out of his voice.

"Just up ahead." Jeb said over his shoulder. "Not far now."

Carlos groaned. "You said that like ten minutes ago."

"Keep going, guys." James said, getting a better grip on Kendall's arm. "I'm sure we're almost there."

"Almost where is what I want to know." Logan said. "We're not even heading in the right direction anymore. We're getting further and further from the main road."

"Just up ahead." Jeb said again.

"Guys, I don't know about this." Logan whispered quietly, staring into the back of the old man up ahead. "Where the hell are we right now? He's leading us completely off track!"

"He has food, Logan." Carlos whispered back. "My stomach needs food."

Kendall looked up ahead at Jeb. "We think we can take him if he's up to no good." He whispered back to Logan. "We really could use a place to hide for a while."

"I don't know." Logan said sullenly. "I killed a mountain lion with his bare hands."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"It's just up ahead, boys." Jeb called again over his shoulder, increasing his pace. "Almost there."

"He just keeps saying that." Carlos groaned pathetically. "I just want to sit down."

"I just want to head in the right direction." Logan added.

Up ahead, Jeb stopped and turned around to face the boys. "Here we are."

The boys looked around, confused. "Here we are …where…exactly?" James asked.

"My home."

Logan frowned. "I don't see anything."

"Yup!" Jeb smiled goofily.

Logan whirled around to face his friends. "This guy is crazy!" He hissed hotly.

"Okay, so maybe not one of our best ideas, following the homeless forest bum." James admitted, as the four boys grouped together, heads bent close. "But it was better than staying back there with those three rednecks! You have no idea where they were going to do to me."

"I kind of have an idea." Logan whispered back. "I've seen Deliverance!"

"Dude! Don't talk about it!"

"Just sayin!"

"Guys! What are we going to do?" Kendall interrupted. "Carlos and I can still move, if we have to. Right Carlos?"

Carlos visibly shuddered, looking slightly nauseous. "I don't know, guys. My leg is killing me already and I'm getting kind of dizzy."

Logan looked at him closely. "You're looking kind of sweaty." He admitted. "How dizzy are you right now?"

Carlos paused for a second, debating whether or not to tell Logan just how crappy he was feeling. Finally, he sighed and sagged against James. "Pretty dizzy." He admitted.

"You lost a lot of blood and you haven't eaten recently." Logan said, slipping into doctor mode.

"Jeb said he has food." James reminded them.

"Jeb is crazy and thinks his house is right here, in the middle of nothing." Logan shot back.

"You boys coming?" Jeb called to them, waiting.

"Be right there!" Kendall yelled before turning back to the others. "So, what do we do?"

James shrugged. "I don't know. We could keep walking? Head back towards the road?"

"Carlos can't." Logan said quickly. "Look at him…he's barely standing right now."

"He can still hear." Carlos muttered, his eyes closing.

"Let's go see what Jeb's got." Kendall said finally. "I could use a break from walking too."

They turned in unison to face the older man.

"Okay, Jeb. Where's this house of yours?" James asked, hefting Carlos to get a better grip on his ailing friend.

"Just up ahead."

"He just keeps saying that!" Carlos groaned into James' shoulder.

James sighed as they followed the mountain man, who had turned around and was walking again. He led them further into the forest, stopping next to a large, rapidly moving river. Logan looked contemplatively at the water, deep in thought. There was a raft pulled ashore, just next to the river, its paddles set up against a nearby tree. Jeb obviously made use of the river. Logan briefly wondered where the river would take them. With the direction the water was flowing, it would definitely continue their journey away from town and away from the creepy psychopaths who apparently wanted them dead.

Not a bad idea, if things got dicey with the strange old hermit.

"Just in here." Jeb ducked into what Logan had thought was the side of a small hill, only to disappear from sight.

"What the hell?" Kendall asked, picking up his pace as much as he could. "Where did he go?"

"Into a hill?" James guessed. "Because, yeah, that's normal."

"Nothing about this week is normal." Kendall told him. "Come on, let's see where he went."

They followed after the old man, finally finding the small opening in the side of the hill, camouflaged by trees. They stood just outside the opening, hesitating.

"Should we go in?" Carlos rasped tiredly. "Or just stand out here in the open?"

"You go first." Logan said to James.

"Nice."

"You're just so big and strong…and, you know…and manly and stuff." Logan laughed quietly. "I just feel soooo safe when you're around." He pretended to swoon.

"Dude…gross." James laughed back. "You are so not my type."

"Oh drat." Logan sighed dramatically. "But seriously, go in first."

"I'm on it." Carlos interrupted, hobbling to the opening. "Anything to lie down for a minute."

He disappeared into the hillside while his friends watched and waited.

"He's not screaming or anything." Kendall observed, waiting. "Guess it's safe to follow." He walked into the opening and gasped, unable to fully believe what he was seeing. The inside of the hill was hollowed out and had been turned into a pretty comfortable looking dwelling. Wooden beams supported the ceiling and walls and the dirt floor was swept smooth, completely free of debris. A small wooden table sat in the corner, one chair pushed up underneath it. An indication that the old hermit definitely lived alone. He'd built a small cupboard up above the table, which he opened to retrieve cups and plates.

"I have a rabbit stew cooking, if you boys are hungry." Jeb smiled crookedly. "You can lay down on that bed, boy, if you need to rest."

Carlos nodded tiredly while the other boys inhaled deeply, enjoying the mouthwatering smell of the cooking stew. James helped Carlos to the bed and he sat down on the soft quilt covering, looking relieved to be off his feet. Logan walked over to him, pushing aside the tattered corners of his pants to check the wound.

He cursed slightly under his breath. "It's starting to look redder, Carlos." He said. "How's the dizziness?"

"Getting better." Carlos answered softly, lying down fully on the bed.

"How's he doing?" Kendall asked, sitting down on the end of bed with a groan. He stretched out his leg in front of him, wincing slightly.

"I don't know." Logan admitted. "I'm hoping some rest and food will do him some good. He doesn't have a fever, so that's good."

A sudden clatter of dishes made the boys jump and they looked over at Clem, who smiled apologetically. "Sorry, dropped the dishes."

Logan turned back to Kendall. "How are you doing?"

Kendall looked down at his ankle. "It hurts, not gonna lie."

"Food?" Jeb interrupted, dishing up bowls of the aromatic stew.

"Absolutely." Kendall sighed happily. "I don't think anything has ever smelled so good."

"Eat." Logan told him. "And then we'll check that ankle again. It looks like it could be re-wrapped."

James sat down at the table, accepting an offered bowl. "Jeb, honestly, this place is amazing. I would never have known it was here."

Jeb nodded happily. "I got a few more places liked it, hidden around."

"And this stew." James said, stifling a groan. "It's absolutely amazing."

"Eat up." Jeb told him. He took a bowl to Kendall and Carlos. "Here ya are boys."

Kendall helped Carlos sit up, handing him his food. "Eat, Carlos. It should help you feel better."

"Gladly." Carlos said. "I don't think I've ever been this hungry before."

"I'll be right back, boys." Jeb said, heading for the door. "Stay here and eat."

Logan watched the old man leave and went to stand by James. He hesitated slightly and looked around. "I don't suppose this guy has indoor plumbing?"

James looked up from his food. "This place is nice, but not that nice."

"Yeah." Logan sighed. "Guess I'm heading outside for a second. I'm really starting to hate the outdoors."

"Watch out for poison ivy!" Kendall called from the bed. "No one wants poison ivy on their ass!"

"That happened one time!" Logan called hotly over his shoulder. "And it wasn't my fault I didn't know what it looked like!"

Logan ignored the snickering from his friends and left the small dwelling, heading back out into the sunshine. He looked around for Jeb, determined to find some privacy away from the old hermit so that he could take care of business. He rolled his eyes, heading for a cluster of bushes a good ways away from the hill.

"This sucks." He muttered. He really did hate the outdoors. When they finally made it back to civilization, Logan vowed never ever to step foot into the woods again. He was even thinking that the park back at the Palm Woods was too outdoorsy for him. His new rule…if it wasn't covered in concrete, he wasn't going there. And indoor plumbing was a must.

Moments later, feeling much better, he was headed back to the dwelling when he caught sight of Jeb, hunched over, talking to himself.

"Weird." Logan thought, crouching down behind a tree. He watched the old hermit, wondering just what the guy was up to. He was definitely talking to someone…or something. His voice floated over to where Logan was hiding and Logan strained to hear what he was saying.

"I got all four of em." Jeb said.

What?

Who the hell was he talking to?

"No, I ain't telling you where they're at. I want more money, Cole. You give me more, I give you the kids. That's my terms."

Logan's eyes widened when he heard the Sheriff's voice, seemingly out of thin air. "I want them now, old man!"

"I want more money. And you gotta give it to me, or I'll help them take you down."

"You don't know who you're messing with."

"I think I know." Jeb said, turning around to look around the woods. Logan ducked back behind the tree, seeing the black walkie talkie in the other man's hands. So that's how he was communicating with the Sheriff. By radio.

Shit! This was bad.

"You decide, Sheriff. You give me more money and you can have em."

Shit shit shit!

Logan waited for Jeb to turn back around before bolting for the hill. They had to get out of there and now. Jeb was going to turn them in for money. Logan knew they shouldn't have trusted that mountain man. He rushed into the home. "Guys! Jeb is going to give us to the sheriff! We've got to get out of here!"

"What?" James slurred, sounding funny. He slumped over in his chair and fell bodily to the floor.

"James!" Logan rushed to him, alarmed.

"Loges, I don't feel so good." James whispered, his eyes closing. The spoon fell from his hand and landed in the dirt.

"Guys, something is wrong with James. Help me get him out of here. We have to leave." Logan said, turning to the bed in the corner. Kendall was looking at him blankly. The bowl of stew dropped to the bed, splattering on the quilt.

"Shit." Kendall muttered, falling over on top of Carlos, who was slumped against the wall.

"No! No no no!" Logan yelped, running over to Kendall. "You have to get up, Kendall!" He pleaded, pulling on his arm. "Come on, buddy, wakey wakey!"

"They ain't gonna wake up any time soon."

Logan whirled around, his eyes widening as Jeb stood by the doorway, suddenly looking less feeble and more menacing. "You shoulda ate that stew, boy."

"You drugged them!" Logan shouted angrily. "You son of a bitch!"

"You really shoulda eaten that stew." Jeb repeated, advancing slowly on Logan.

"We're not going to stay here and wait for you to hand us over to the Sheriff!" Logan yelled.

"Well, see boy, those friends of yours ain't gonna wake up for a couple a hours." He took another step towards Logan. "You can leave now or you can sit down and wait."

"I won't leave them!"

"Now I didn't think you would." Jeb told him. A rifle was suddenly in his hands, pulled from behind a chair near the door. "So I'm thinking you're gonna sit down and behave until I decide when I wanna do with you."

"I woudn't count on it." Logan muttered, staring back at the older man.

"I don't want no trouble outta you, boy. Smith wants you pretty bad and he'll get the Sheriff to up the reward."

Logan gave him a look. "You people are sick! No way am I waiting around for that asshole to get here!"

"I ain't putting up with this." Jeb said angrily, storming over to where James lay on the floor. He pointed his rifle at the prone boy and glared back at Logan, who had gone completely still. "So here's what we're gonna do. You eat this stew and you take a nap, like your little friends. Or I'm gonna shoot pretty boy here."

Logan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "You wouldn't."

"I've done way worse things than shoot some kid, boy." Jeb said darkly. "Why you think I live out here alone? Eat the damn stew."

"Okay." Logan nodded, wondering just how the hell he was going to get out of this.

"Ain't no other choice, boy. You can stop that thinking."

Logan grabbed his cooling bowl of food, still glaring at the hermit. "You can let us go." Logan tried one last time. "We've got money. More money that the Sheriff is offering you, I can promise you that."

"Nice try, but I ain't stupid. Fools like you ain't got no money. Last chance. Eat the damn stew or pretty boy gets a bullet in the leg."

"NO!" Logan said quickly. "Fine, I'll eat the stew. But you'll regret this." He took a small spoonful of the thick brown stew and paused, the spoon hovering just outside his mouth. He closed his eyes and put the spoon in his mouth, his stomach appreciating the first food he'd had in a while even while his mind rebelled against the action.

"Sit down and eat it all." Jeb ordered, training the gun on Logan.

Logan took James' seat at the table and ate. The stew was really good and despite his mind's protest, he finished it quickly.

"Nighty night, sunshine." Jeb said as Logan's eyes began to feel heavy.

Logan slumped in his seat, falling awkwardly to the ground, next to James. His eyes clouded over as he stared at Jeb. Seconds later, unable to fight it any longer, he gave in to the drug and passed out.

His last thought…how the hell were they going to get out of this one?

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: This chap was getting a bit long, so I'm going to end it for now. Hopefully I'll update again in a couple of days. I know I say that a lot…and then I don't update for weeks…but I really do hope to update in a few days :)**

**Decided to do a sequel to Obsession, so maybe I'll crank out chapter one of that in the next couple of days too…**

**Dreamweaver…Kendall's dream is half finished, so that one should be up soon too.**

**Chapter 11: Chapter 11**

**A/N: Howdy everyone! I know, I know, it's been a really really long time since I've updated anything. I'm really sorry about that. Lots of stuff going on. Got married. That sucked. Got divorced. That's going well. Enjoying my freedom again! Word of advice…don't get married at a young age. I can't promise that I'll update more, but I hope I will. Thanks for sticking with me and Happy Reading!**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

In fifth grade…or had it been fourth grade?...it was hard to remember…Kendall had been shot with a tranquilizer dart while on a school field trip to the local zoo. He wasn't sure who'd done it…Carlos, James and Logan had apparently sworn each other to secrecy and adamantly refused to tell him which one had shot him…but to this day, he would never forget how he felt afterwards.

Like he'd been run over by a thousand pound rhino wearing steel-toed boots.

And the rhino had turned around, run him over a second time, and danced a little ditty on his head before heading off to do whatever the hell rhinos did.

It wasn't a feeling that you forgot.

So when he groggily struggled to open his eyes, he immediately recognized the same feeling and he knew he was in trouble. He just couldn't seem to remember why he was in trouble.

He concentrated on getting his eyes to open. He'd never have guessed that such a simple chore could prove so hard, but nothing he did would make them respond to him. He felt as if his body and his mind were completely detached from each other. Around him, he could hear mumbling…a soft whistling sound…and rustling as someone walked near his head. A quick surge of panic shot through him as the person stopped next to him.

"How you already stirring, boy?" A familiar twang asked and Kendall went still. "Thought you ate enough to keep you out, like your friends."

Ate enough? Kendall struggled to process that statement. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Ate enough…ate enough…he fumbled over the words in his brain even as he managed to open one eye. Just one. The right one. Damn left eye refused to listen. His left eye had always been a pain in the ass, never listening…what the hell? He shook his head to clear the confused jumble of thoughts, determined to get his wits back. He didn't remember why…he didn't remember where..but he knew he was in trouble. And if he was in trouble, the other guys probably were too.

Ate enough? Yeah, he was back to that. Kendall knew that was a clue…if he could just figure out that statement, he'd remember why his head was pounding in unison to the fast beating of his heart. The tranquilizer he'd been shot with had literally taken forever to wear off…his teacher had had to hold up the bus until Kendall was able to move again. He could still see the smirks on his friends' faces when he'd finally been able to stumble up the bus stairs.

Assholes.

The headache combined with his current inability to move his own damn body clued Kendall into the fact that he'd been drugged with something similar to that tranquilizer. A hand touched his leg and Kendall internally recoiled, even his body was unable to move.

Go away. Kendall pleaded silently. This was the stuff of nightmares, being unable to move and completely at the mercy of a stranger who had drugged him. He'd never felt so helpless before in his life.

The touch on his leg was brief, ending even before he'd finished his silent plea, and for that, Kendall was immensely grateful.

"Bet you gave most your stew to that injured boy there, didn't you." The voice said and suddenly Kendall knew what had happened. The stew. And he had given most of his to Carlos, after he'd seen him eyeing it hungrily. So whatever they'd been drugged with had been in the food.

Lousy son of a bitch!

Anger flared up in the blond boy, stronger than anything he'd ever experienced before. Stronger even than the anger he'd felt only a day before, listening to those rednecks beat the crap out of Logan. He'd never wanted to kill someone as much as he did then, listening to the few cries his friend had allowed to escape during his torment. For Logan to cry out, it must have been painful. And each cry he'd heard had sent Kendall further and further into a rage.

But that was nothing compared to this.

This man had offered them sanctuary. Had coerced them into following him under the guise of safety…which they'd stupidly done…had offered them food…preyed upon their hunger and exhaustion and fear…and betrayed them the second their backs were turned. In Kendall's mind, there was nothing worse than that.

But it wasn't Jeb that Kendall was truly angry with and that pissed him off even more. No, Kendall was pissed at himself. He was such a fucking idiot! He'd known better than to trust a stranger…especially in these hillbilly pervert infested woods! He'd known better than to accept food from a stranger! Hell, he'd promised his own mother he wouldn't do those things only days before, laughing it off!

We're grownups, he'd said. We're old enough to take care of ourselves. Let's go on a freaking road trip!

This entire ordeal was his fault.

And to make matters worse, he'd allowed them all to be tricked by a less than intelligent mountain man who was currently standing over him, waiting for him to open his eyes.

His eye. The right one was open. The damn left eye still thought it was on vacation and refused to cooperate.

"I know you awake, boy." Jeb said, glaring down at the blond boy.

Kendall ignored him, still trying to plead with his left eye to listen to him just this once. Grudgingly, his eye obeyed and snapped open, feeling gritty and full of sand. Soft light lit the small room as Kendall blinked, trying to clear his vision, cringing as the increase in light only aggravated his already pounding headache.

He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut once more to block out the offending light. When his eyes adjusted, he fixed Jeb with a stare, daring him to explain himself with just a look.

Jeb eyed Kendall, his stare finally forcing Kendall to look away.

"You ain't supposed be be up yet, boy." Jeb told him, frowning. "I don't want know trouble from you now, you hear? Now Ima gonna tie you up and you just sit tight until the Sheriff done comes and picks you and your friends up."

He grabbed a chair from the table where James slept, drool pooling around his open mouth. Kendall almost allowed a small chuckle at the sight. James…his vain friend…drooling like a fool. It was almost funny.

If Kendall wasn't so freakin terrified right now.

Jeb sat the chair next to Kendall's head and bent down, putting his hands underneath Kendall's arm pits to lift him up. He wheezed as he lifted the larger boy, hauling him bodily into the chair, igniting a coughing fit that sprayed Kendal with bits of stew and phlegm.

"Gross." Kendall muttered, wishing he could make his arms obey him, to wipe the spittle off. He hated feeling so weak and helpless. Why the hell wouldn't his arms obey him? His eyes were on board! His arms needed to man up and join him too!

"Keep those hands behind your back, kid." Jeb growled, pulling a bit of rope out from behind a trash can. Kendall shook his head, trying to force the headache away. It didn't even surprise him anymore that a person would have a bit of rope just sitting around, waiting to tie someone up. This place was just that fucked up that having rope was commonplace. The rope found its way around his wrists and Jeb pulled tightly, making sure that Kendall wouldn't be able to move, before he came around to stand in front of him, gazing at him thoughtfully.

"You know what Bubba does to pretty city boys like you?" Jeb asked, making Kendall cringe back.

"I have a pretty good idea."

Jeb shook his head." Same thing those other boys wanted to do to your friend out there in the woods. Be happy the sheriff just wants you dead."

"How is that supposed to make me happy?" Kendall yelled, his head snapping back when Jeb slapped him brutally in the face.

"I don't take to no back sassing, boy." Jeb said, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh," Kendall blinked back tears. "Is that rude? I'm sorry, Mr. Hermit. Please untie me and my friends and we'll happily be on our way." He got another slap, but he knew he would.

"Don't be making this personal or nothing." Jeb said angrily. "I need that money the Sheriff is offering."

"How is this not personal?" Kendall shot back. "You lied, offered us a place to hide out, then drugged us for some lousy, stupid reward money."

"That money will support me for a long time, boy." Jeb growled.

Kendall tried to ignore the stinging in his cheek as his mind went into overdrive. "If its money you want, I can get you money."

Jeb laughed, spittle from his mouth hitting Kendall in the face again, making him grimace. "You ain't got no money, boy."

"No, really! We have money!"

Jeb grabbed the radio from his table and pressed Talk.

"Cole. You there?"

"NO! Jeb, please. I have money. I swear it! Four thousand dollars is all yours, if you let us go!" Kendall pulled at the ropes around his wrists.

"Yeah, I'm here old man. You ready to deal?"

Jeb glanced at Kendall before responding. "How much you offering for the boys, Cole?" He said into the radio.

"I'll give you two grand."

"Not enough, Sheriff. Kid says he's got four thousand if I let them go."

"FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS! Jeb, you crazy fool!" Cole screamed over the radio. "You know those kids don't have four thousand dollars!"

"Kid says he has it."

"In Logan's pocket." Kendall said. "It's all there and it's all yours. Just let us go." He nodded his head towards Logan.

"He doesn't have it, Jeb. I'll give you three thousand. That's my final offer. Take it, old man."

"Check Logan's pocket." Kendall told him. "It's there. It's yours. Just let us go."

Jeb looked at Logan. "His pocket, huh?"

Kendall nodded.

Jeb walked to Logan, never taking his eyes off Kendall. Reaching down, he dug around in Logan's pocket, pulling out the wad of cash from Gustavo. His eyes lit up as he shoved the money into his own pocket.

"Kid wasn't lying about the four grand, Cole. Guess I let them go."

Kendall breathed a silent sigh of relief. Thank god.

"I know your hideouts, Jeb." Cole said calmly over the radio. "I know every single one of them. I will find you and I will find those boys."

Jeb looked over at Kendall before hitting the button to respond. "Give me more than the kid is offering and you can have em."

"NO!" Kendall yelled, his eyes pleading.

"Quiet, boy." Jeb said harshly, waiting for Cole to reply.

A crackle and the Sheriff's voice came back over the radio. "How much?"

"I want Six thousand."

"SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS!" Cole roared in response. "Jeb, I'm gonna kill you, you old hermit! I will not give you six thousand dollars for a bunch of rag tag city boys!"

Jeb smirked before responding. "City boy done filled me in, Sheriff. You gonna cough up more than four thousand for city boys that done seen you off a fed."

Static crackled over the radio as Kendall held his breath.

"I will give you six thousand dollars, you son of a bitch." Cole's voice came over the radio, making Kendall's heart sink. "I want those boys.:"

Jeb's face lit up in a toothy grin as he turned and looked at Kendall, waiting for him to say something. "Well, boy?"

Sweat covered Kendall's brow as he looked around the room at his unconscious friends. They were in some deep shit. His only chance was to keep Jeb on their side.

"We can get more funds." He said quickly, his eyes pleading. "I promise you, whatever Cole s says, we can get you more. We just need to get ahold of our producer and he'll give you whatever you want. Please."

Jeb looked doubtful. "I don't know, boy. Six thousand dollars is a lot of money."

"Jeb!" Cole's voice cut through the radio, startling Kendall. "Give me those boys."

"Please!" Kendall tried again, pulling at the ropes around his wrists. "I promise we can get you more. Just help us and we'll give you whatever you want. You can have the four thousand now and the rest when we are safe."

Jeb looked around at Kendall's sleeping friends. "You gotta be foolin me, boy. And I ain't that dumb. No way you boys got more than six thousand dollars."

"We're in a band." Kendall said quickly, his last chance to persuade the old man. "We're famous. We have an album. Big Time Rush. I swear we can get you whatever you want."

Jeb just looked at him. "You four are in a singing group?"

Kendall nodded enthusiastically.

Jeb sputtered out a laugh. "Good try boy." He hit the Talk button on the radio, his eyes never leaving Kendall. "Cole, you got yourself a deal. Bring the money and come get these boys."

"NO!" Kendall shouted, increasing his struggles against the ropes. "You can't!"

"Good choice, old man. Give me your location and I'll be right there."

"Please, Jeb! Don't do this. He'll kill us!"

"My hideout by the river. You know the place."

A pause. "I do. I'll be there in twenty."

"Bring the money, Cole. Don't be playing me now." Jeb said menacingly. "I don't take kindly to being played."

"You'll get your money, old man." Cole growled. "Have them boys ready for me."

Jeb looked at Kendall one more time. "You gonna kill them?"

Another pause and Kendall found himself straining to hear the reply. "That's my problem, old man. Don't you worry about them boys. I'll take care of them."

Jeb nodded to himself and deactivated the walky talky before tossing it to the ground.

"Why?" Kendall asked, looking at him. "Why did you sell us out?"

"A man has to look out for himself, boy." Jeb simply said, picking up his shot gun again. "You just sit right there and wait for Cole. I don't need any more talking out of you."

"He'll kill us."

"That ain't my problem.!" Jeb said harshly. "I gotta protect myself. Ain't got no cause to protect no city boys."

"You protected James from those guys." Kendall reminded him, refusing to give up.

"Had to get you boys to follow me, now didn't I boy. An old man like me can't be taking on four strapping boys like you, unless you come willingly." Jeb said. "Now shut up until Cole gets here."

"Shit shit shit." Kendall muttered, twisting his hands together, still trying to loosen the ropes. Cole was coming. He would be there in twenty minutes. Less than twenty minutes now. They were royally fucked.

"Stop trying to get loose!" Jeb shouted, moving his rifle up to point it at Kendall. "Sit still now! You want me to slap you again?"

"Not really." Kendall muttered, stilling. He'd lost. It was over.

"It'll be over soon. Just wait there quietly. Like your friends." Jeb chuckled, rubbing his hand absently over his pocket. "Getting ten grand for four boys. This is my day."

"You're keeping our money?"

"You aint gonna need it, boy."

Kendall stared at him, the truth of the statement cutting deep. They wouldn't have any use for the money once Cole got them.

"Like hell he won't!" A voice said suddenly behind Jeb. Spinning around, Jeb raised his gun toward the voice.

James swung the piece of firewood in his hand, landing a solid hit to the back of Jeb's head, knocking the old man out cold.

"So what the fuck!" James yelled, staring down at the unconscious man at his feet. "What. The. Freakin. Fuck!" He ran a hand through his unruly hair in agitation. "Is everyone in this messed up place a freakin psycho?"

"James." Kendall said quickly, seeing his friend on the verge of a massive freak out. "Calm down!"

"No!" James stopped him. "No, I'm not calming down! I'm having this freak out! I deserve this freak out!"

Kendall watched as his friend dropped the piece of wood and turned to look at Carlos and Logan. A look of pure rage crossed his face at the sight of his unconscious friends. "What the fuck happened? Why the fuck does my fucking head hurt so much! What the hell happened to Carlos and Logan!"

"I'll fill you in, but you have to untie me and we have to get the hell out of here!" Kendall said quickly. "Jeb sold us out to the Sheriff and he's on his way here. He'll be here in…shit!...like fifteen minutes!"

"Shit." James agreed. "We have to get out of here!" He found a knife and cut Kendall loose, pocketing the knife when he was done.

"And go where?" Kendall argued. "He knows where we are and we're on foot while he's in a car! And two of us are unconscious!"

"So what? We just sit here and wait for that pyscho to come kill us? Or worse, sell us to some big dicked hillbilly who uses us as a dick pin cushion?"

"First off, gross." Kendall shuddered at the image floating unwelcomed in his head. "And second, I don't know! We can't carry Logan and Carlos through the woods!"

"We do what we have to." James told him determinedly. "Grab some food, matches, weapons….whatever you can find. And let's get the fuck out of here."

Kendall nodded and they moved quickly around the small dwelling, grabbing items they thought they could use. Throwing the gathered items into a pillowcase, James moved to grab Carlos. "Jeez, he's heavy!" He huffed, throwing his friend over his shoulder, fireman style.

"What the?" Kendall just looked at him. "How are you carrying him like that?" He grabbed Logan's arm and started dragging him toward the door.

"Pick him up!"

"He's heavy!"

"Hurry up!" James darted out the door, carrying Carlos. "That Sheriff will be here soon. You can't drag him the entire way!"

"He's heavy, okay!" Kendall shot back. "This isn't going to work!"

"Seriously, it's called a gym, Kendall! Try going there!"

"Your sarcasm is not helping!"

"It's helping me!"

Kendall dropped Logan's arm and sighed, looking around. "The river!"

James frowned and looked at the water. "What? You want to swim home? Maybe have a nice float?"

"Hardy freakin har!" Kendall told him. "There's a raft, genius. We can all fit in it. Help me drag Logan!"

"Pick him up!" James said again, heading for the raft on the bank of the river. He dropped Carlos carefully into the rubberized boat, setting the supplies next to him.

"Little help here!" Kendall called behind him, making James sigh.

"I got him. Just grab the oars."

"Paddles." Kendall said.

"Really, Kendall?" James yelled, setting Logan next to Carlos. "You're really going to correct me? Right now? While we're running for our lives? And they're oars, not paddles."

"Paddles." Kendall grinned, grabbing for them. "Help me push off!"

"It's like you don't want to do anything physical!" James huffed, getting out of the raft to push off. He jumped back into the moving boat and grabbed the other paddle, sitting next to Kendall. "How do these things work?"

"Like I would know that?" Kendall said. "Just stick it in the water and let's get the hell out of here."

"Do you hear something?"

Kendall looked at him. "Do you hear something?"

James cocked his head to the side. "Like a car engine?"

Kendall glanced over his shoulder. "Shit! Go go go!"

"Damn it!" James swore, paddling faster. "Can't this thing go any faster."

"I'm doing my part!" Kendall yelled back.

"We're going in circles!"

"Paddle when I paddle!"

"Damn it!" James swore again as a car roared up to the river bank and the doors swung open, revealing the Sheriff and his deputy. "Go, Kendall!"

"Where you boys think you're going?" Sheriff Cole called out, laughing. "Why don't you come back here before you kill yourselves!"

"So you can kill us?" James shouted back. "I don't think so! Paddle, Kendall!"

"I'm paddling!" Kendall growled back at him.

"Look at those idiots, Smith." Cole laughed again. "Fools don't even know how to use a raft. You boys know this won't end well for you!" He yelled out to them. "Give yourselves up before my boys get here and I let them have their fun with you."

"What does that even mean?" Kendall whispered to James.

"You know what it means!" James whispered back, paddling even faster. "This whole place is fucked up!"

They finally caught the current and their speed increased quickly, putting more distance between themselves and the Sheriff standing on the bank.

"Yes!" Kendall cheered. "Finally, something is going our way!"

"Later, Sheriff!" James called out triumphantly. "See you in federal prison!"

Cole frowned as the boys got farther and farther down the river. "Smith, get your rifle and shut those boys up. Permanent like."

Smith smiled. "You got it Sheriff. Can we let the dark haired one live. The little one?"

"Damn it, Smith! You can find some other little boy to play pervert with! I want those boys dead and I want them dead now!" Cole growled at him.

The smile fell from the deputy's face. "You got it boss." He raced back to the truck and retrieved his rifle, raising it to peer through the scope at the retreating raft.

"Take them out, Smith." Cole said again. "Before they get around that bend."

"On it, boss." He raised the rifle a little more, lining up his shot.

"Is he pointing a rifle at us?" James asked, glancing over his shoulder.

Kendall stopped paddling and looked towards the river bank. "Uh….shit, yes! Get down, James!" He pushed his friend down into the boat as a bullet flew over their heads. "Shit!"

"You missed, Smith." Cole growled angrily. "Shoot those assholes and shoot them now!"

"It aint my fault they ducked!" Smith muttered, lining up his next shot.

"What the fuck do we do!" James shouted, keeping his head down. "We're on a rubber raft! If it gets hit by a bullet, we sink and they kill us!"

"We have to get around the bend up there and out of his site." Kendall said. "Paddle faster. Go go go!"

"We are soooooo dead."

Another bullet flew over their heads, making them flinch.

"They are almost out of range, Smith." Cole said quietly. "I suggest you shoot the raft and stop them."

"Shoot the raft?" Smith lowered the rifle and looked at his boss.

"Its rubber, moron. Shoot it and it sinks. And then we will them."

Smith looked sheepish. "Shoot the raft. Got it." He raised the rifle again, taking careful aim.

"Go James! We're almost there!" Kendall yelled, spying their deliverance just ahead. If they could just get around the corner.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." James muttered to himself, waiting for the bullet that would end their escape. Another shot rang out just as they made the bend, the bullet hitting a tree stump sticking out of the water, narrowly missing the raft.

"YES!" James shouted. "FUCK YES!" He raised his paddle up in the air and gave a triumphant whoop. "EAT SHIT, SHERIFF!" He called out loudly, knowing the other man would hear him. "EAT SHIT AND DIE, MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Smith, I want that boy dead." Sheriff Cole said calmly as his anger grew. "I want you to get in the fucking truck and let's go get those boys. And let's kill them. You think you can do that?"

Smith lowered his rifle. "Yeah. Yeah boss." He muttered, cringing as the boy in the raft continued to taunt them. "But the road don't catch up to the river until about a mile past the falls."

Cole stopped to look at his deputy. "We'll let the waterfall take care of those boys for us and retrieve their bodies down river." He said. "Guess you aint such an idiot after all."

"What if they survive the fall?" Smith asked, climbing back into the truck.

"Those city boys won't survive that fall." Cole told him. "If the fall don't kill them, the rocks at the bottom will."

Smith laughed. "You got that right, boss."

"Call your buddies. Have them meet us down river, past the falls. They can help us fish out the bodies."

"Sure thing, boss."

Kendall glanced over his shoulder as James continued to cheer. "You think we lost them?"

James smirked. "Of course we lost them. We're picking up speed, there isn't a road next to the river and they don't have a chance of catching up to us. Trust me, Kendall, we're home free."

"I hope so." Kendall said. "We could use some good luck on this trip."

A groan and movement caught their attention and they turned around to see Logan regaining consciousness.

"What the hell?" Logan moaned, rubbing his head as he woke up. "Why do I feel like I'm moving?"

"Uh…cause we're on a boat." James offered.

"We're on a boat." Kendall laughed.

Logan flinched as James joined in, laughing loudly. Now that they were seemingly out of danger, the adrenaline coursing through their bodies was making them goofy.

"Not so loud." Logan pleaded. "My head feels like Kendall's did when I shot him with that animal tranquilizer dart at the zoo."

"You shot me?" Kendall whipped around to face Logan. "I knew you shot me with that dart!"

Logan's eyes widened. "No I didn't! Carlos did!"

"I freakin knew it! When we get out of here, I'm going to get you Logan!" Kendall said darkly. "You ruined that field trip for me! You ruined zoos for me! I had nightmares about zoos for months after that trip!"

"Dude, really?" James laughed. "That's lame."

"You're lame!" Kendall shot back.

"All of this yelling is hurting my head!" Logan whined. "And why are we on a boat? How did we get away from Jeb? What the hell did I miss?"

"Well, first off, you're fucking heavy." Kendall told him. "I had to carry your ass to the boat."

"You dragged him, dude. Don't make yourself sound cooler than you are." James said.

"You dragged me?" Logan asked. "Is that why my arm hurts?"

Kendall shook his head. "Don't be a wuss, Logan."

"We knocked out Jeb and got the hell out of that hut." James told him. "He was trying to sell us to Cole."

"He kept our four grand too." Kendall added. "Sorry, guys."

James groaned. "He took our money? What the hell!"

"I was trying to bribe him to let us go!" Kendall argued.

"Yeah? And how did that work out for you!" James yelled.

"Guys, let's not fight." Interrupted Logan. "We got away. Let's just focus on that."

James looked doubtful. "Did we get away? Where does this river even go? What if they're waiting for us down river somewhere, ready to ambush us?"

"Wow, you're full of happy thoughts, aren't you." Kendall told him. "We have some time to figure things out. Let's just see where this goes and if we're lucky, we'll find some help at the end of the river."

Logan sank back down into the raft. "Crap, my head hurt. What the hell did that hold hermit give us?"

Kendall shrugged. "I don't know, but Carlos is still out. I shouldn't have given him most of my stew."

"He was hungry." Logan said. "And the food did him good…even if it was drugged."

"Is he doing okay, Loges?" James asked him, looking down at his unconscious friend with concern.

Logan groaned as he sat back up to check Carlos over. He gently placed his hand on his forehead, breathing a sigh of relief. "Still no fever. I think he's out of the woods for infection. His wound still looks good, but it could use a new dressing."

"Don't look at me." James told him. "I'm out of sleeves."

Logan shook his head. "I think all of our clothes are too dirty now to make a proper dressing. We'd end up giving him an infection."

"What I wouldn't give for a shower." James said wistfully. "And a change of clothes. Kendall, is the river picking up speed?"

Kendall put his paddle back in the water as the raft started to move faster. "I think so. Must be a stronger current."

"Augh, I feel like crap." Logan groaned. "Boats make me nauseous and this one is moving way too much."

Kendall laughed, despite his struggles with the paddle in the water. "I forgot about that! Remember when you threw up on that rafting ride at Disney Land!"

"Don't talk about it." Logan groaned. "Seriously, gonna hurl here."

Kendall stopped talking as his friend's face turned a light shade of green. Making fun of him was one thing…ending up with chunked stew in the raft was quite another.

"We are going way too fast now." James said loudly, his voice strained. "Kendall, help me steer this thing. I see some rocks coming up."

Kendall swore as he spotted the rocks. "Shit. What the hell do we do?"

"Not hit them." James said as water sprayed up, hitting him in the face. The river was definitely getting choppier and angrier.

"Stop moving so much!" Logan groaned again, resting an arm over his eyes.

"WATCH THAT ROCK!" Kendall yelled as the raft careened off the unavoidable obstacle, jarring its occupants painfully.

"What the?" Carlos suddenly groaned, his eyes popping open. Water spayed him in the face and he sat up with a start, his eyes suddenly wide and alarmed. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'm gonna throw up." Logan whispered, leaning his head over the back of the raft.

"Carlos! Glad you're awake buddy!" James said through clenched teeth. "Logan, careful back there! Don't fall out!"

The dark haired boy fell back with a groan, his face still green as Carlos looked at him. "What is wrong with Logan?"

"Boat!" Kendall and James said in unison.

Carlos looked confused. "How did we get on a boat?"

"Just stop the raft and I'll get off." Logan muttered.

Kendall was starting to panic. "James, I think we're in trouble here. The water is way too choppy."

"Just hang on to that paddle and help me steer." James told him.

"Someone want to tell me what's going on?" Carlos asked, looking nervously at his friends.

"No time for that." James told him, sparing him a quick look over his shoulder. "As soon as we're safe, we'll fill you in. For now, grab on to something and hold on!"

"I don't like the looks of this." Carlos said quietly, looking down at the angry water. "This doesn't look good." He grimaced as Logan leaned over the back of the raft, throwing up loudly.

"Grab him, Carlos!" Kendall yelled. "Make sure he doesn't fall out!"

"On it." Carlos grabbed hold of Logan's belt buckle and held on, rubbing his friend gently on the back as he continued to expel the rest of the stew.

"He okay, Carlos?"

"Uh, Kendall?" James interrupted, his voice tense.

Kendall ignored him, turning around to make sure both Carlos and Logan were okay.

"Kendall!"

"What, James!"

"We got a huge problem up ahead!"

Kendall looked ahead of them, his eyes widening as panic kicked in. "Holy. Shit. JAMES, WATERFALL!"

"USE THE PADDLE!" James screamed. "WE HAVE TO STOP MOVING!"

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked, his attention off of Logan when he heard the fear in James' voice. "Waterfall?"

"MOVE KENDALL! GET US TO THE BANK! WATCH THAT ROCK!"

Logan groaned again, feeling the urge to throw up wash over him as the rocky movement in the raft continued. He leaned back over the side, determined to throw up in the water and not in the raft.

"JAMES! WE'RE GETTING CLOSER! PADDLE HARDER!"

"Logan, hang on!" Carlos reminded him, reaching for his belt buckle again, spotting the white rapids ahead of them. His mind refused to process what he was seeing…a waterfall, dead ahead.

"GO KENDALL!"

"JAMES, WATCH THAT ROCK!"

The warning came too late and the raft hit the rock hard, jarring the boys as they grabbed the straps in the raft to keep from being thrown out. Logan reached blindly for the strap next to him, his hand skimming the rope as he went air born, flying into the sky. He felt Carlos grab his leg, but it wasn't enough and when he came down he landed in the choppy, ice cold water.

"LOGAN!"

He heard his friends' scream before his head went below water and he struggled against the current, desperately trying to break the surface of the water. His lungs burned with the effort of trying to stay afloat in the rough water. When he surfaced again, he managed a greedy gulp of air as he desperately searched for the raft. It was off to his right, too far for him to reach. He saw his friends' horrified expressions before he was pulled back below the surface of the water and he was struggling once again for his life, trying to break the current's hold on him. His muscles ached with the effort, but he finally popped his head above water, taking another desperately needed gulp of air.

"THE ROCK, LOGAN! WATCH OUT!" Kendall was screaming something at him and he looked to the side in time to see the large rock looming down on him. He couldn't miss it. He was heading right for it.

"LOGAN!"

Logan was propelled towards the rock, almost in slow motion, and he saw everything with such clarity just seconds before he made contact and his world darkened. He saw his friends, their attention on him, their horrified faces. He saw the rock, ominous and unavoidable, knowing it was going to be painful when he finally made contact. He hit the rock with a bone jarring smack, pain exploding in his head, making him go limp.

And just before he blacked out, he watched the raft carrying his three friends go over the edge of a waterfall.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Soooo…..once again, really sorry for the lack of updates. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Please remember to review. I know I don't deserve reviews for making you guys wait so long, but I love them just the same : -) I'll do my absolute best to update again really really soon!**

**I'm taking over two stories from my friend JessieSwag...Study Buddies & Rebellious Submission. Both are smutty and fun to write, so I'm looking forward to that! If you haven't read them, I'll be re-posting them to my account because Jessie is deleting her account. Check them out! I've been helping her write them, so its going to be fun taking them over and continuing them.**

**Sooo happy to be back! **


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